Catholic Arena recently published a worrying comment from Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life [PAFL].
“Personally, I would not practice assisting suicide, but I understand that legal mediation can constitute the greatest common good concretely possible in the conditions in which we find ourselves.” [Paglia]
This was initially reported in Il Riformista and other comments from the Archbishop in the same article seem reasonable. (Il Riformista, ‘The Reformist,’ is an Italian political newspaper holding to: “libertarian orientation, guarantor and firmly opposed to populism, sovereignism and "justicialism.")
The Archbishop was commenting on Judgment 242/2019 from the Italian Constitutional Court which says:
“According to the Law on Advanced Medical Directives (Law no. 219 of 22 December 2017), patients in such conditions can already decide to allow death to take its course by requesting the interruption of life-support treatment and constant heavy sedation that would make them unconsciousness until the time of death, a decision that must be respected by physicians.”
and,
“In order to do so, the Court has identified a precise “point of reference” in the Law on Advanced Medical Directives concerning the waiver of life-preservation treatments and the guaranteed provision of suitable pain management and palliative care (Articles 1 and 2 of Law no. 219 of 2017). These provisions provide for a “medicalised process” that meets most of the needs identified by the Court.”
Abp. Paglia considers tht this judgement will allow a form of Assisted Suicide. If Palliative Sedation is used “on demand” it does become a form of Euthanasia — sedation should only be used when no other viable alternative for comfort is available. (Refusal of treatment is always the prerogative of a competent patient. Also, it would be wonderful if every country “guaranteed provision of suitable pain management and palliative care.” )
I confess to knowing almost nothing about the role & functions of the PAFL before reading the CA article! Below is a brief description of the Academy with information on its Statutes.
PONTIFICAL ACADEMY FOR LIFE
Wikipedia notes that the Academy was founded in 1994, by Saint John Paul II and is dedicated to the "study, information and formation on the principal problems of biomedicine and of law, relative to the promotion and defense of life, above all in the direct relation that they have with Christian morality and the directives of the Church's Magisterium".
Wiki states that the Academy is considered to be “an autonomous entity” though is linked to various dicasteries of the Roman Curia. PAFL statutes show that it exists under the direct control of the Pope and is funded by the Holy See.
‘Common’ Academy members may be non-Catholic and are named to the Academy by the Pope: “selected to represent different branches of biomedical sciences and ethics which are closely linked with problems concerning the promotion and defense of life…The Academy is responsible for the development and promotion of many of the Catholic teachings on questions of medical ethics including procreation, IVF, gene therapy, euthanasia and abortion.” [Wiki]
STATUTES of the Pontifical Academy for Life
The original statutes by Saint JPII were revised by Pope Francis. Clauses showing that the position of the Academy and its members must be strictly Pro-Life. Several are appended in part below (my bold & editing. Click the link for full text.)
Section I: Nature and Purpose
1.….The objective of the Pontifical Academy for Life is the defence and promotion of the value of human life and of the dignity of the person.
2 - The specific responsibility of the Academy is: a) to study, from an interdisciplinary perspective, the problems connected with the promotion and defence of human life;
b) to form persons in a culture of life – in the areas of its proper competence – through appropriate initiatives, and always with full respect for the Magisterium of the Church;
c) to inform, in a clear and timely manner, Church leaders, the various biomedical science institutions and societal health care organizations, the media, and civil society in general, about the most significant results of its own study and research (Cf.Vitae Mysterium, 4).
3 - The Academy has a primarily scientific role, for the promotion and defence of human life (Cf. Vitae Mysterium, 4). In particular, it studies various matters dealing with care for the dignity of the human person at different stages of life, mutual respect between the sexes and generations; the defence of the dignity of each individual human being; and the promotion of a quality of human life that integrates material and spiritual values. It does so in the context of a genuine “human ecology” that seeks to recover the original balance in creation between the human person and the whole universe (cf. Chirograph of 15 August 2016).
Section II: Guidelines and rules concerning membership
“New Academicians commit themselves to promoting and defending the principles regarding the value of life and the dignity of the human person, interpreted in a way consonant with the Church’s Magisterium.”
Section III: Scientific activity and operations
“It should readily cooperate with physicians and researchers, including those who are not Catholic or Christian, who acknowledge human dignity and the inviolability of human life from conception until natural death, as proposed by the Church’s Magisterium, to be the essential moral foundation of science and the medical arts.”
Current Statutes are clear that all members and the Academy must be Pro-Life. That said, it would be logical for the Academy to invite guests with views in direct opposition to the Catholic Church — or have some form of ‘visitor’ membership — so they can present the research which is advancing Abortion, Assisted Suicide, Euthanasia, IVF, Gene Therapy etc. This would allow the Academy to prepare appropriately.
THE PRESIDENT
The President of the PAFL is directly appointed by The Holy Father and is the official representative of the Academy:
Section II: Organization / Office of the President
1. a) The President is appointed by the Pope. He or she remains in office for the term laid down in the Letter of Appointment, and can be reappointed. b) The President is the official representative of the Pontifical Academy.
CONCLUSION
When taken in isolation, Abp. Paglia’s comment is disconcerting because morally — to my understanding — “the common good” cannot flow from an inherently evil act.
It is unlikely that an Archbishop would intentionally make comments contrary to basic tenets of the Church. We do not know the full context in which the Archbishop made this comment. There may be an issues with the translation from Italian or he may have been trying to express that this was the best compromise a secular court could make in a modern society. Likewise, we do not know if he was ‘set-up’ by the Il Riformista journalist to become click-bait!
Archbishop Paglia should have every opportunity to clarify his statement, or to retract if he misspoke. If he holds to the comment, he should demonstrate how it is consistent with Catholic Theology.
Kevin Hay
(You can follow Kevin on Twitter @kevinhay77)
