No doubt everyone has a long reading list of articles and books that are either enjoyable or necessary. I would like to add one and encourage you to put it at the top of your list.

On the 22nd of September, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith put out one of the most important documents of the last number of years, entitled Samaritanus bonus (The Good Samaritan – on the care of persons in the critical and terminal phases of life) This letter situates the care of the ill and the dying within the broader context of the care for one’s neighbour. It gets to the point very quickly, saying “It is widely recognized that a moral and practical clarification regarding care of these persons is needed. In this sensitive area comprising the most delicate and decisive stages of a person’s life, a ‘unity’ of teaching and practice is certainly necessary.” The CDF is well aware of the desperate battle we are waging across the world in regard to the promotion and legalization of mercy killing and euthanasia. It quite rightly refers to various magisterial documents such as the Declaration on Euthanasia and the monumental Gospel of Life, but it also deals very definitively with issues that are confronting us now. In this brief article, I would like to look at several of them.

It is categorical in repeating that nutrition and hydration should always be given to critically ill patients unless doing so becomes too burdensome. This is a sad reflection on us that such a statement should even have to be made. However, it has become standard practice that those who are critically ill often have nutrition and hydration pre-emptively removed. This can hasten or even cause death. It often can just be a cover up for euthanasia.

Samaritanus bonus (SB) zeroes in well on the nature of caring and compassion. Its brief summary on the theology of suffering is succinct and a good synopsis of a well-developed area of Church teaching. The conversation over the fourth section of “Cultural Obstacles that Obscure the Sacred Value of Every Human Life” is a more contemporary statement of the very well-developed early sections of The Gospel of Life, but can also serve as a digest of St. John Paul II’s thought. It is clear that the CDF wants to both re-iterate and further develop Church teaching, and for those who have been involved in prolife for any number of years the articulation of the points is quite worthwhile. It is probably one of the most direct teachings on pastoral accompaniment – a recurring theme of this pontificate - especially in section two where it speaks of how we unite with one another in our presence and our shared suffering.

A good part of the restatement of Magisterial teaching is directly pointing at the legalization of euthanasia and the disregard of all possible safeguards. This is certainly timely even though we are losing on many fronts. Once again there are good summaries of our positions, and this means this document could be used in a variety of settings. I would also like to point out the very brief statement on the role of Catholics on legalizing mercy killing and euthanasia. This whole complicated area really calls for its own restatement in another document.

Two areas that I think are outstanding are the “Moral obligation to exclude aggressive medical treatment” and Palliative Care. These obviously could be dealt with in a much longer fashion, but the teaching is clear and distinct. Much has changed in the last 30 or 40 years, and so the areas on pediatric and prenatal medicine, analgesic therapy and loss of consciousness, and the vegetative state and the state of minimal consciousness are tight but need more development.

SB takes into account the moral conflicts that Catholics are increasingly finding themselves in. Medical personnel and institutions are fighting for the right of conscientious objection in the face of government pressure. This is a document that, although short, is densely packed. For this reason, we have decided to produce a series of short videos to help you walk your way through this document and point you to other resources. We will keep you informed of the estimated time of arrival for these videos. Once again, I would highly recommend your reading of SB whether you are new to this or are all too experienced in these battles.