Tag: Brothers of Charity

Pope orders religious order to stop offering euthanasia in its hospitals

Aleteia

Vatican Radio

A religious congregation is being ordered by the pope to stop offering euthanasia in the hospitals it sponsors.

According to Vatican Radio, Pope Francis has ordered the Belgian arm of the Brothers of Charity to stop allowing the euthanizing of patients in its psychiatric hospitals. .

Pope Francis also ordered Brothers of Charity who serve on the group’s board to sign a joint letter to their Superior General declaring that they “fully support the vision of the magisterium of the Catholic Church, which has always confirmed that human life must be respected and protected in absolute terms, from the moment of conception till its natural end.” . . .[Full text]

Vatican threatens Belgian order allowing euthanasia

La Croix

Malo Tresca

A brusque reversal by the Belgian province of the Order of the Brothers of Charity  has led to a lively polemic.

The order has previously always refused to practice euthanasia, which has been legal in Belgium for nearly fifteen years.

But in a document addressed to hospital management and staff of its fifteen psychiatric centers, the Belgium Brothers of Charity in March confirmed its decision to finally authorize medically assisted death, including for its patients who were “in a non-terminal situation”.

No explanation of the reasons for the change

This surprising about face by a Catholic congregation attracted the fire of the Belgian Bishops Conference, the Vatican and the hierarchy of the Order. . . [Full text]

 

 

 

Vatican investigates Belgian order’s decision to allow euthanasia in its hospitals

Cardinal Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, is reportedly looking into the case

Catholic Herald

Simon Caldwell

The Vatican is investigating the decision of a group of psychiatric care centres run by a Catholic religious order in Belgium to permit doctors to perform euthanasia of “nonterminal” mentally ill patients on its premises.

Brother René Stockman, superior general of the Brothers of Charity, told Catholic News Service that Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, is personally examining the situation. . . [Full text]

 

Belgian Catholic psychiatric hospitals ‘adjust’ their view of euthanasia

BioEdge

Michael Cook*

One of the last substantial barriers to increasing the number of euthanasia cases for non-terminally-ill psychiatric patients in Belgium seems to have crumbled.  A religious order in the Catholic Church, the Brothers of Charity, is responsible for a large proportion of beds for psychiatric patients in Belgium – about 5,000 of them. The international head of the order, Brother René Stockman, is a Belgian who has been one of the leading opponents of euthanasia in recent years.  Nonetheless, in a surprise move this week, the board controlling the institutions of the Brothers of Charity announced that from now on, it will allow euthanasia to take place in their psychiatric hospitals. . . . Full Text