Pope Encourages the World to Say No to Euthanasia
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 12, 2004
Rome, Italy (LifeNews.com) — On the heels of a decision by doctors in Switzerland to lend their support to the long-tolerated practice of euthanasia, Pope John Paul II again made it clear that Catholics should just say no.
During a speech commemorating the World Day of the Suffering, AGI reports the Pope said "nobody has the right to kill a human being just because they are suffering."
"Every human being, including he or she who is ill or suffering, is a great gift to the Church and to humanity," the Pope added.
Instead, the pain of the elderly or disabled "represents an appeal so that all those who are suffering may find someone who can support and help them with patience and care. Suffering is a call to show merciful love."
The Pope’s message is echoed by other Catholic Church leaders worldwide.
"No one should dare to kill what is being conceived through abortion or kill the sick through euthanasia, in the name of mercy," Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal of the Philippines said in his homily celebrating the day.
The Philippines legislature has rejected House Bill 4110 or the Reproductive Health Care Act that concerned pro-life advocates. However, now legislators are bringing up another law favoring euthanasia. Vidal said pro-life people should oppose it.
"No one can claim the right to destroy or indiscriminately manipulate the life of the human being," Vidal quoted Pope John Paul II as saying, the Sun Star newspaper reports.