CV NEWS FEED // The Catholic Conference of Bishops in Canada is hosting a Symposium on Palliative Care this week, expanding efforts to combat the nation-wide popularity of assisted suicide.
Chair of the event, “Towards a Narrative of Hope: An International Interfaith Symposium on Palliative Care,” Bishop Noël Simard of Valleyfield, Quebec stated in a Vatican News article that palliative care should not be about “terminating someone’s life,” but about “accompanying people’s lives,” as they come to an end.
According to the Symposium’s program, the aim of the conference is to reinvigorate hope within the Church, other faith traditions, and society in the context of end-of-life issues,” by exploring palliative care options “within the wider framework of building a culture of social responsibility at the local, regional, national, and international levels.”
The country’s most recent annual report on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) found that in 2022, there were 13,241 MAID deaths in Canada, representing 4.1% of the country’s total deaths. This number reflects a growth rate of 31.2 % since 2021, and continues to rise.
The total number of deaths listed in the October 2023 report is 44,958.
In his interview with Vatican News, Bishop Simard emphasised the importance of “accompaniment” as a major theme for the conference. Making sure that patients know “that they are not a burden to others but instead have dignity, which is never lost,” is critical.
“We are telling them: ‘You are still a person loved by God. You have your place in society. And we are here to tell you that we love you,’” said Bishop Simard.
The bishop also noted that palliative care includes concern for family members and caregivers: “We have to be there to listen to them and maybe offer them some respite,” he concluded.
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