Assisted suicide is false compassion says Pope Francis

Vatican City, Jun 10, 2016 / 02:13 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Physician-assisted suicide is part of a “throwaway culture” that offers a “false compassion” and treats a human person as a problem, Pope Francis told medical leaders on Thursday.

“True compassion does not marginalize anyone, nor does it humiliate and exclude – much less considers the disappearance of a person as a good thing,” the Pope said. He criticized “those who hide behind an alleged compassion to justify and approve the death of a patient.”

“You are well aware of the meaning of the triumph of selfishness, of this ‘throwaway culture’ that rejects and dismisses those who do not comply with certain canons of health, beauty and utility,” he said.

The Pope addressed the managers of the Medical Orders of Spain and Latin America in the Apostolic Palace on June 9.

According to Vatican Radio’s translation, he described compassion as “the just response to the immense value of the sick person.” This response is composed of respect, understanding and tenderness “so that the sacred value of the life of the patient does not disappear or become obscured, but instead shines with greater splendor precisely in suffering and helplessness.”

Compassion is a necessary part of the medical profession, Pope Francis stressed.

“The doctor’s identity and commitment depends not only on scientific knowledge and technical competence, but principally on the attitude of compassion and mercy towards those who suffer in body and spirit. Compassion does not mean pity, it means ‘suffering with’,” he said.

Technological and individualistic culture does not always consider compassion well, he said. It even disdains it and regards it as humiliation.

“Frailty, pain and infirmity are a difficult trial for everyone, including medical staff. They call for patience, for ‘suffering-with.’ Therefore, we must not give in to the functionalist temptation to apply rapid and drastic solutions, moved by false compassion or by mere criteria of efficiency or cost-effectiveness,” he added.

“The dignity of human life is at stake. The dignity of the medical vocation is at stake.”

“Nothing must prevent you from ‘putting more heart into your hands’,” the pontiff told the medical leaders, citing St. Camillo de Lellis.

Pope Francis reflected on the theological aspects of health and medicine. In the biblical tradition, there is a close link between health and salvation.

“The Fathers of the Church used to refer to Christ and His work of salvation with the title ‘Christus Medicus’ (Christ the Doctor),” the Pope explained. “He is the Good Shepherd who cares for the wounded sheep and comforts the sick. He is the Good Samaritan who does not pass by the injured person at the roadside, but rather, moved by compassion, cures and attends to him.”

The Pope added he likes to bless doctors’ hands as a sign to recognize “this compassion that becomes the caress of health.”

Military withdrawn from N’Delta communities - FG

By Isidi Monica

For several hours on Tuesday, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo met with governors of oil producing states and service chiefs in his office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Governors who attended the meeting were Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), Okezie Ikpeazu (Imo), Dickson Seriake (Bayelsa), Odom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom) and Adams Oshiomhole (Edo). The service chiefs in attendance were General Gabriel Olonishaki (Chief of Defence Staff), Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai (Chief of Army Staff ) and Vice Admiral Ibok Ette Ibas (Chief of Naval Staff). The meeting was believed to be in connection to the threats by the new militant group, Niger Delta Liberation Force (NDLF) to bomb the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, the Defence headquarters, National Assembly among other strategic government facilities especially in Lagos, Abuja and Kaduna. Prior to the emergence of the new group last week, the Niger Delta Avengers had been engaged in serial bombing of oil facilities in the Niger Delta region, reducing oil production per day to less than 1.5 million barrels as against the 2.2 million estimated in the 2016 budget. The meeting was also believed to have discussed the way forward in resolving the knotty issue of the current agitation by militant groups in the oil rich region. President Muhammadu Buhari had threatened in his Democracy Day nationwide broadcast last week that the militant groups whose activities were disrupting oil production would be brought to book. But the Federal Government recanted on Monday when Osinbajo announced a cease fire to allow for meaningful engagement with leaders of the oil producing communities. Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting, Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa said, however, that the meeting resolved to have the ongoing military operations in the region distilled, while the communities would be engaged. “We have also agreed that there is a need to distill military operations directly in communities, but the military needs to actually remain on our waterways to ensure that we adequately man the waterways itself while we engage the communities and that engagement process is starting any moment from now.” Okowa also disclosed that the security chiefs briefed them on the situation in the region while the governors also shared their perspective and they agreed on intelligence sharing on the situation, going forward.

“We governors of the oil producing states, security chiefs and ministers who are concerned met with the Vice President and I believe we had a very fruitful meeting. “One thing we identified which is the synergy between the Federal Government and the States which is very important and this meeting has raised a lot of issues and we believe that the collaboration will help us to tackle the issues in the Niger Delta.

“Of course, we were briefed by the service chiefs and the governors also have their own perspectives along with the minister of state petroleum. “We have taken a lot of decisions which will help us mitigate what is going on currently in the states particularly Bayelsa and Delta. We believe we are going to find solution to it.

“One of such is that there is a need for us to share intelligence which is very important and for us to be proactive, working together with the various stakeholders in the states to achieve a better result going forward,” the governor narrated. Also speaking after the meeting, Oshiomhole emphasized the need for government to sustain the amnesty programme so that skills acquired in the training could be effectively utilized. He also cautioned that Nigerians should strive to resolve any differences amicably rather than sing war songs. He said: “Nigeria is not at war and we cannot be at war with ourselves. “If we have conflicts, we will talk through those conflicts.

There are laws that have to be enforced. “I think that in all of these the whole idea is to find peace that is functional, that creates environment for very decent Nigerians to live their lives.” Meanwhile, the Embassy of the United States in Nigeria on Tuesday expressed concern over reports of attacks and other incidents in the Niger Delta. This was contained in a statement issued by the Embassy’s Public Affairs Unit in Abuja.

The Embassy stated that the U.S. mission to Nigeria was monitoring reports of attacks and other incidents in the Niger Delta and it shares the concerns of all Nigerians about these attacks. “The U.S. remains supportive of efforts, including the promotion of dialogue, to address grievances in the Niger Delta,” it stated. It appealed to all parties to resolve their disputes through peaceful means and emphasize that human rights of all Nigerians must be protected. It called on all Nigerians to persevere in efforts to achieve common goals.

It stressed on the need to end violence and curb the activities of criminal elements. It called for the establishment of conditions and mechanisms for profound, positive, and lasting changes in the region. According to statement, there is the need for the provision of economic opportunity and the needed services for residents of the Niger Delta.

Source: dailytimes.ng

Ex- Super Eagles coach Is Dead

One of the most iconic captains of the Nigerian national football team, the Super Eagles, and former coach of the team, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, is dead.

According to reports, the death of the former international was confirmed by his relatives and close associates.

Mr. Keshi had lost his wife of 33 years, Kate, to cancer last year.

“He was not ill at all, never showed any signs of illness, but we suspect he never got over the death of his wife,” TheCable quoted one of his friends, whose name was not given, as saying.

Mr Keshi, popularly called the Big Boss, is the only Nigerian coach to have won the Africa Cup of Nations.

He also became the second person in history to win the competition as a player and as a coach after Mahmoud El-Gohary of Egypt when he led the Super Eagles to win the tournament in 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

He rose to national prominence when debuted for the Super Eagles in 1981 at age 20. The late Central Defender withdrew from the national team in 1994. He had 64 caps and scored nine goals.

As coach, he qualified an unlikely Togolese national team for the 2006 World Cup in Germany but was sacked and replaced with German Otto Pfister, just before the tournament.

He however, achieved his dream to manage a team at the World Cup when he coached the Super Eagles side to the tournament in 2014.

He is the fifth member of the glorious 1994 Super Eagles team to die, after Uche Okafor, Thompson Oliha, Rashidi Yekini and Wilfred Agbonavbare.

He is survived by four children and his

 mother.

Source: national mirror.com