VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 039
DATE 24-02-2015

Summary:
- End of life assistance to the elderly, theme of the 21st assembly of the
Pontifical Council pro Vita
- In Memoriam

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 End of life assistance to the elderly, theme of the 21st assembly of the
Pontifical Council pro Vita
 Vatican City, 24 February 2015 (VIS) - The Pontifical Academy pro Vita will
dedicate its upcoming general assembly to end of life assistance to the
elderly. The assembly, which will take place in the New Synod Hall from 5 to 7
March, is the 21st to be held by this institution, and the official theme is
"Assisting the Elderly and Palliative Care".
 During the assembly, on 6 March, there will be a workshop open to the public,
especially scholars, healthcare and pastoral workers, and students who are
interested in acquiring a deeper knowledge of the theme from a number of
viewpoints: theological-philosophical, ethical and medical, cultural and
social.
 In the first session of the Workshop, "Clinical care for the elderly at the
end of life", following a brief general introduction to the theme by Bishop
Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, president of the Pontifical Academy pro Vita, a
number of specific issues will be considered, such as medical care for the
elderly with chronic degenerative illlnesses, the use and abuse of analgesics
in palliative care, nursing care for the terminally ill, and clinical
decision-making processes for the elderly at the end of life.
 The second session will be dedicated to ethical and anthropological
perspectives, and will focus on the central role of relationships with the
elderly in family, social and hospital contexts, and guidelines for
accompanying the elderly as they near death, with respect for their dignity
and avoiding any form of abandonment or euthanasia.
 The day will conclude with the analysis of socio-cultural perspectives. The
third session will be dedicated to the spirituality of the elderly in later
year, legal aspects of the end of life, pastoral care and the role of the
family, ending with the question, "What is social solidarity?".

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 In Memoriam
 Vatican City, 24 February 2015 (VIS) - The following prelates have died in
recent weeks:
 - Archbishop Pierre-Andre Fournier of Rimouski, Canada, on 10 January at the
age of 71.
 - Bishop James Naanman Daman, O.S.A, of Shendam, Nigeria, on 12 January at
the age of 58.
 - Bishop Joseph Mukasa Zuza of Mzuzu, Malawi, on 15 January at the age of 59.
 - Bishop Jose Maria Hernandez Gonzalez, emeritus of Netzahualcoyotl, Mexico,
on 19 January at the age of 88.
 - Archbishop Jose Martins da Silva, S.D.N. emeritus of Porto Velho, Brazil,
on 29 January at the age of 78.
 - Bishop Adalberto Arturo Rosat, O.F.M., prelate emeritus of Aiquile,
Bolivia, on 31 January at the age of 81.
 - Bishop Vincent Valentine Egwuchukwu Ezeonyia, C.S.Sp., of Aba, Nigeria, on
8 February at the age of 73.
 - Bishop Abel Costas Montano, emeritus of Tarija, Bolivia, on 11 February at
the age of 94.
 - Cardinal Karl Josef Becker, S.J. †Deacon of San Giuliano Martire, on 10
February at the age of 86.
 - Bishop Thomas Bhalerao, S.J. emeritus of Nashik, India, on 13 February at
the age of 82.
 - Bishop Magnus Mwalunyungu, emeritus of Tunduru-Masasi, Tanzania, on 13
February at the age of 84.
 - Bishop Joseph Devellerez Thaung Shwe , emeritus of Pyay, Myanmar, on 17
February at the age of 79.
 - Archbishop Antonio Lanfranchi, of Modena-Nonantola, Italy, on 17 February
at the age of 68.
 - Bishop Bernardo Enrique Witte, O.M.I. emeritus of Concepcion, on 21
February at the age of 88.
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