October 3 | 
0 COMMENTS 
print
Listen carefully to Pope’s message on elder care
What a message sent by Pope Francis’ last weekend during his encounter with the elderly at St Peter’s Square in Rome. With Pope Emeritus Benedict looking on, the current Holy Father warned of the abandonment and neglect of the elderly, calling it a ‘hidden euthanasia’ rooted in today’s ‘poisonous’ culture of disposal and an economic system of greed.
Pope Francis also warned against the ‘inhuman’ violence being waged against the elderly and children in areas of conflict. Harm can also be waged quietly, he said, through many forms of neglect and abandonment, which ‘are a real and true hidden euthanasia.’
Pope Francis’ comments at The Blessing for a Long Life event, organised by the Pontifical Council for the Family, on the ‘hidden’ euthanasia of elderly people touch a nerve here in Scotland. One of the issues the Scottish Government is expected to address post-haste post referendum is the Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill.
The late Margo MacDonald introduced her revised vision of her previously rejected version assisted suicide in Scotland on November 12 2013. The bill was taken over by Green MSP Patrick Harvie following the Lothians Independent MSP’s death earlier this year.
Modern Scotland’s future, much debated of late, will only ever be as strong as the provision made for its most vulnerable—the poor, the sick and the elderly. What kind of message are we sending them by even contemplating legalising assisted suicide? The all life is not of equal worth? That those who are incorrectly labelled as or feel themselves to be any kind of ‘burden’ on our society should be sacrificed instead of cared for in the way they deserve?
Let us not forget that a central issue in our Christian lives, and the recent independence referendum, was and remains social justice.
Last weekend Pope Francis thanked the retired Pontiff for his presence, telling the crowd: “I really like having him living here in the Vatican, because it’s like having a wise grandfather at home.”
The wisdom and love of older people are instrumental for building the future, and they can even cheer up grumpy teenagers, according to Pope Francis. The generations of working parents in Scotland who rely on grandparents for many things, including childcare, will no doubt agree.
More than 40,000 retirees, grandparents and their families heard Pope Francis’ words at the event before he concelebrated Mass with 100 elderly priests. Let’s pray that some of those listening included Scottish politicians.
RSS Feeds