Thursday 17 February 2022
1 – Catholic reactions to the Italian Constitutional Court decision on euthanasia referendum
2 – Explainer: What is an invalid baptism?
3 – Liquid Catholicism and the German Synodal path
4 – A new book reveals the backstory of the Church’s 1949 Decree Against Communism
5 – Christianity remains the world’s largest religion with 2.5 billion believers
Catholic reactions to the Italian Constitutional Court decision on euthanasia referendum
On February 14, the Italian Constitutional Court rejected the possibility of a referendum on the murder of a consenting person and euthanasia. For Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, who posted a video statement on Twitter, the Court “did not take his decision lightly, speaking moreover of the defense of the most fragile life.” Now the Parliament will have to decide on “a law to regulate this final stage of life,” he explained. The Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life also said in a note that “medically assisted suicide and euthanasia are not forms of social solidarity nor of Christian charity” and “there are other ways to treat the incurable and to be close to the suffering and the dying.” The Catholic associations, Movement for Life and Ecclesial Movement of Cultural Commitment (MEIC), also both welcomed the Court’s decision.
Avvenire, English
