At the end of the meeting in Jerusalem between the delegation of the Israeli great scribes and the Holy See, the two sides emphasized in a joint statement the sanctity of human life and their firm opposition to euthanasia.
(Vatican News Network)The delegation of the Israeli scribes and the Holy See Council on Relations with Judaism held the 17th meeting of the Bilateral Commission in Jerusalem from May 2 to 4. The two sides drew up a joint statement at the end of the meeting. Standing firm against euthanasia, and the importance of alleviating suffering through palliative care, were concepts strongly reiterated in the statement. The delegation of the Vatican Council for Relations with Judaism was led by Cardinal Koch, Prefect of the Vatican for the Promotion of Christian Unity.
During this meeting, the two delegations presented Jewish and Christian ideas on the treatment of late stages of disease, that is, what is forbidden, what is permitted, and what must be done, starting from basic principles, “to For Jews and Christians, caring for the dying patient with sincerity, respect and love means, in a time of darkness, loneliness and abandonment, a real spark of faith and hope for the patient and his loved ones. Light”. The joint statement mentioned that human life is sacred and created in the image of God. Because life is a gift from God, we must resolutely oppose any person or group’s idea of manipulating human life and determining its value and length .
The statement refers to the need to promote human life and dignity, but also specifically refers to the joint statement issued by representatives of the Abrahamic monotheistic religion in the Vatican on October 28, 2019. At that time, the representatives expressed their firm opposition to euthanasia and physicians. Assisted suicide, endorsed palliative care.
Guidelines related to terminally ill patients were also mentioned at a meeting of the delegation of the Israeli scribes and the Holy See Council on Relations with Judaism in early May this year.
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