[Apologetics] Fw: My thoughts about this past week - Fr. Frank Pavone

[Stephen Korsman]

Priests for Life wrote:

>April 4, 2005
>
>My dear friends of Priests for Life,
>
>What a week we have just been through! United in faith and in the pro-life
cause, we
>are grieving the murder of Terri Schiavo. Likewise, whether Roman Catholic
or not,
>we are mourning the passing of one of the greatest voices for the right to
life, Pope
>John Paul II.
>
>This is one of those times when I'm especially grateful to all of you for
your
>fellowship, and wanted to share a few reflections on what has happened in
these days.
>
>First of all, thank God we are at the height of the Easter Season! Last
week was the
>"Octave of Easter," that is, a special eight-day period which is all
considered by the
>Church as "Easter Day," the Day of the Resurrection! Death, in all its
forms, has been
>conquered by Christ! We are called to rejoice in that victory and keep it
uppermost
>in our minds as we battle the Culture of Death. Isn't it amazing that both
Terri and
>Pope John Paul II died so close to each other, and within the Easter
celebration! Is
>God speaking to us? He certainly is!
>
>You may have seen on the news that I was at Terri Schiavo's bedside during
the last
>14 hours of her earthly life, right up until five minutes before her death.
During that
>time with Terri, joined by her brother and sister, I expressed your care,
concern, and
>prayers. I told Terri over and over that she had many friends around the
country,
>many people who were praying for her and were on her side. I had also told
her the
>same things during my visits to her in the months before her feeding tube
was
>removed, and am convinced she understood.
>
>Terri's brother, sister, and I read Scripture, prayed the rosary, and had
times of
>silence during Terri's last hours. We held her hand and stroked her head.
During all
>that time, there was always at least one police officer in the room,
watching our
>every move, and several more immediately outside the door. During those
hours, one
>of the things I did was to chant, in Latin, some of the most ancient hymns
of the
>Church. One of the chants I used was the "Victimae Paschali Laudis," which
is the
>ancient proclamation of the resurrection of Christ. There, as I saw before
my eyes
>the deadly work of the Culture of Death, I proclaimed the victory of life.
"Life and
>death were locked in a wondrous struggle," the hymn declares. "Life's
Captain died,
>but now lives and reigns forevermore!"
>
>As you may have also seen, those who killed Terri were quite angry that I
said so. The
>night before she died, I said to the media that her estranged husband
Michael, his
>attorney Mr. Felos, and Judge Greer were murderers. I also pointed out,
that night
>and the next morning, that contrary to Felos' description, Terri's death
was not at all
>peaceful and beautiful. It was, on the contrary, quite horrifying. She was
dehydrating
>to death, and looked it. Her face had an expression of dread and sorrow. In
my 16
>years as a priest, I never saw anything like it before.
>
>After I said these things, Mr. Felos and others in sympathy with him began
attacking
>me in the press and before the cameras. Some news outlets began making a
story out
>of their attacks and said I was "fanning the flames" of enmity and hatred.
>
>Actually, there's a simple reason why they are so angry with me. They had
hoped that
>they could present Terri's death as a merciful and gentle act. My words
took the veil
>of euphemism away, calling this a killing, and giving eyewitness testimony
to the fact
>that it was anything but gentle. Mr. Felos is a euthanasia advocate, and
like all such
>advocates, he needs to manipulate the language, to sell death in an
attractive package.
>Here he and his friends had a great opportunity to do so. But a priest,
seeing their
>work close-up and then telling the world about it, just didn't fit into
their plans.
>
>One of the attacks they made was that a "spiritual person" like a priest
should be
>speaking words of compassion and understanding, instead of venom. But
compassion
>demands truth. A priest is also a prophet, and if he cannot cry out against
evil, then he
>cannot bring about reconciliation. If there is going to be any healing
between these
>families or in this nation, it must start with repentance on the part of
those who
>murdered Terri and now try to cover it up with flowery language.
>
>Another aspect of the Terri Schiavo tragedy is that many people
misunderstand its
>cause and therefore its solution. They think the problem was that Terri did
not leave
>any written instructions about whether she wanted to be kept alive. In
order to avoid
>any such problem in their own lives, they are now told that they have to
draw up a
>"living will." This is both erroneous and dangerous.
>
>Terri's case is not about the withdrawal of life-saving medical treatment,
but rather
>about the killing of a healthy person whose life some regarded as
worthless. Terri
>was not dying, was not on life support, and did not have any terminal
illness. Because
>some thought she would not want to live with her disability, they insisted
on
>introducing the cause of death, namely, dehydration.
>
>So what good is a living will supposed to accomplish, aside from saying,
"Please
>don't argue about killing me, just kill me?"
>
>The danger in our culture is not that we will be over-treated, but rather
that we will be
>under-treated. We already have the right to refuse medical treatment. What
we run
>the risk of losing is the right to receive the most basic humane care -- 
like food and
>water -- in the event we have a disability.
>
>Our culture also promotes the idea that as long as we say we want to die,
we have the
>right to do so. But we have a basic obligation to preserve our own life. A
person who
>leaves clear instructions that they don’t want to be fed is breaking the
moral law by
>essentially requesting suicide.
>
>If you want to make plans for your future health care, do not do so by
trying to
>predict the future. The reason you cannot indicate today what medical
treatments you
>do or don't want tomorrow is that you don't know what medical condition you
will
>have tomorrow, nor what treatments will be available to give you the help
you need.
>Living wills try to predict the future, and people can argue over the
interpretation of
>a piece of paper just as much as they argue about what they claim someone
said in
>private.
>
>The better solution is to appoint a health care proxy, who is authorized to
speak for
>you if you are in a condition in which you cannot speak for yourself. This
should be a
>person who knows your beliefs and values, and with whom you discuss these
matters
>in detail. In case you cannot speak for yourself, your proxy can ask all
the necessary
>questions of your doctors and clergy, and make an assessment when all the
details
>of your condition and medical needs are actually known. That's much safer
than
>predicting the future. Appointing a health care proxy in a way that
safeguards your
>right to life is easy. In fact, the National Right to Life Committee has
designed a
>"Will to Live," which can be found at
www.nrlc.org/euthanasia/willtolive/index.html
>and which I recommend highly.
>
>Today, my friends, I will fly back to Florida to be with Terri's mom, dad,
and siblings
>and to preach at the funeral mass that will be held for her at 7pm this
evening. I will
>again convey to them your best wishes, and if you want to relay a personal
message
>to them, you can send it to terri at priestsforlife.org and I will pass it
along
>personally.
>
>Meanwhile, as we commend both Terri and the Pope to the Lord, and are
reminded
>of the equal value of every life, no matter how prominent or obscure,
healthy or sick.
>I will be writing more about the issues that have arisen in Terri's case,
and about the
>teachings of Pope John Paul II on these matters. You'll be able to keep up
on
>developments by checking in with us at www.priestsforlife.org. Meanwhile,
be
>assured of my prayers.
>
>Sincerely,
>Fr. Frank Pavone
>National Director, Priests for Life
>
>K-6-903749-24076924-2-23970-US1-BCFD8E51