Scottish Catholic Observer

Pope Francis stressed the importance of the elderly to our society as he joined with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in greeting thousands of grandparents in St Peter’s Square.

Referring to the ‘hidden euthanasia’ of a society that discards old people, the Pope, last Sunday, spoke about our ‘throwaway culture’ that hurts the world.

“How many times are old people just discarded, victims of an abandonment that is tantamount to hidden euthanasia,” he said. “This is the result of a throwaway culture that is hurting our world so much. We discard children, young people and older people under the pretence of maintaining a ‘balanced’ economic system.

The Scottish Government is currently considering the Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill, which critics, including the Church and key medical professionals, believe sends the same unacceptable message to the old, sick and vulnerable.

A crowd of around 40,000 people attended the gathering.

Making only his third public appearance since his resignation in February 2013, Pope Emeritus Benedict (above left), 87, was greeted by Pope Francis at the event.

Among those speaking to the assembled crowds and the two Pontiffs were Mubarak and Aneesa, grandparents of 12 grandchildren from Qaraqosh, Iraq, where Christians have been massacred and an 82-year-old named Antonia who told the Pope that she felt a victim of a throwaway culture. “

Aidan Michael Cook, campaign officer for Care Not Killing Scotland, supported the Pope’s words on the elderly, and stressed the danger to the vulnerable of a society that embraces euthanasia.

“There are a lot of very lonely people at the end of their lives because they are not getting support from their families and from society as a whole,” he said.

“It’s not enough simply to say no to assisted suicide and euthanasia though; you actually need to make a positive change in society in how we deal with the most vulnerable in our society, including the elderly.”

John Deighan, the parliamentary officer of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, echoed these views saying: “Euthanasia and assisted suicide are apparently easy ways of getting rid of people. They can easily be dressed up as compassion but they are fundamental attacks on the status of a category of people. To say that some lives are no longer worth living is very dangerous.”

Evidence on the Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill currently being considered by the Scottish Parliament will be taken at the start of next year. A similar bill on the issue was rejected by MSPs in 2010.

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—Read the full version of this story in October 3 edition of the SCO in parishes from Friday.