Are there any Catholic ethicists out there who can tell me if the Bishop was violating the Catholic Sanctiy of Life mandate by his request of Luka? Thank you.

-- violet (violet@pon.net), February 09, 2001

Answers

I'm catholic and I don't think so. After all he's not asking Luka to kill him, just to let him service his flock. I know a priest who kept working long after his doctors had told him to quit for his health. I'm not so sure that the Lord didn't keep him healthy and around longer than if he had just given up.

-- Annie (somebunny@excitemail.com), February 09, 2001.

I also do not believe he was violating Catholic doctrine. In addition, the Catholic Church is very strong on making decision based on informed conscience (informed being very important in this term). If a Catholic feels called to do something against Church teachings and has seriously studied the issue, discussed it with other people of faith, and prayed about it, then he or she actually must follow the decision of an informed conscience because this is where the Holy Spirit speaks. The Bishop wants to make the rest of his life meaningful, even if it shortens the time span somewhat. I found his Doctor to be interesting. Often an official such as the Bishop is surrounded by people like him who feel they and they alone can make decisions that are right for the official. The Bishop wasn't going to cause a scene with his Doctor but he was going to have a quality of life that he believed best for him.

-- Diana (dilynne@juno.com), February 09, 2001.

I don't know about the ethics (I was raised Catholic), but I thought the Bishop was asking Luka to do something that most likely shorten his life, even though it would make the quality better. I didn't know doctors were allowed to do that.

-- Kate (yfpy0050@yorku.ca), February 09, 2001.