Terri Schiavo and Pope’s Struggles Similar, Priest Says at Memorial 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 12, 2005
Jacksonville, FL (LifeNews.com) — The parents of Terri Schaivo, who passed away after enduring a painful thirteen day starvation death, attended another memorial for their daughter today in Jacksonville. The memorial was sponsored by a victim’s rights group that helped Bob and Mary Schindler in the weeks leading up to Terri’s death.
The service took place at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and was sponsored by the Justice Coalition.
Rev. Conrad Cowart told a capacity crowd that the struggles faced by Terri and Pope John Paul II, who recently passed away, were similar.
"When we saw Terri, we saw the pope, and when we saw the pope we were also reminded of Terri. Both reflecting each other in so many ways," Cowart said, according to an Associated Press report.
Cowart said the difference was that the Pope was able to die on his own terms while Terri was subject to a painful starvation.
"Terri was cruelly taken away from us by those who have no respect for the culture of life," Cowart said. "We cannot sit back and let the culture of death take over our country."
Bob Schindler, Terri’s father, told those attending that his family has been blessed with over 10,000 emails and cards since Terri’s death.
"People are writing and pouring their hearts out," said Schindler, according to the AP report. "We believe God is testing the United States and the people.
"To us, it was gut wrenching," he added, describing the ordeal.
Meanwhile, Terri’s mother Mary told the Associated Press that the fight to protect disabled people like Terri is far from over.
"We are going to keep fighting for people so the same thing doesn’t happen to anyone else again," Mary Schindler said. "It was horrific, unbelievable and I would not want anyone else to go through this ever."
Terri’s parents have not yet heard from Terri’s estranged husband Michael as to where he has buried Terri’s ashes. He plans to bury Terri’s cremated body in a burial plot he owns in suburban Philadelphia.
He is required by Judge George Greer to tell Terri’s parents about the burial, but he only has to inform them after it takes place.
During the memorial, the Schindlers sat in the front row with Ted Hires, founder of the victims advocacy group.
