Senior representatives of the three monotheistic religions - Christianity, Judaism and Islam - signed and delivered to Pope Francis on Monday a document in which they speak out strongly against euthanasia and assisted suicide "which are inherently and morally wrong". These practices must be "prohibited without exception" and "any pressure or action on patients to incite them to end their own lives is categorically rejected," says the document on the end of life of "monastic Abrahamic religions".
The text was solemnly initialed in the Vatican by a representative of each religion including Rabbi David Rosen, Director of Religious Affairs of the American Jewish Committee, Bishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, a representative of the Metropolitan ( Orthodox) of Kiev, Hilarion, and Chairman of the Central Committee of the Indonesian Muhammadiyah (Muslim Socio-Cultural Association), Dr. Samsul Anwar. The idea for this statement was proposed to the pope by Rabbi Avraham Steinberg, co-chair of the Israel National Council of Bioethics.
Objection of conscience
The document also authorizes conscientious objection for health personnel at all hospitals and clinics. "No health operator shall be coerced or pressured to assist directly or indirectly the deliberate and intentional death of a patient through assisted suicide or any form of euthanasia". This right, which must be "universally respected", remains "valid even when such acts have been declared legal at the local level or for certain categories of persons".
"Life deserves to be sustained until its natural end"
In Italy, the Constitutional Court recently decriminalized assisted suicide under certain strict conditions while asking the parliament to legislate on the existing legal vacuum. The document encourages "a qualified and professional presence in palliative care, everywhere and accessible to everyone". "Even when moving away from death is hard to bear, we are morally and religiously committed to providing comfort, pain relief, closeness, and spiritual assistance to the dying person and his family," according to the paper. .
Believing that "life deserves to be sustained to its natural end," the three religions promise to "support laws and public policies that protect the rights and dignity of terminally ill patients to avoid euthanasia and promote palliative care". They also commit to "using awareness and research" to provide "maximum information and help to those facing serious illness and death."
The three religions plan to "sensitize public opinion on palliative care through adequate training and the implementation of resources for the treatment of suffering and death". They also promise to "involve other religions and all people of good will" in this fight.