Time to Pray
CRISIS Magazine e-Letter
February 25, 2005
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Dear Friend,
This isn't the email I had intended to send you today, but
circumstances are such that I think it's necessary. As Christians, we
believe in the invincible power of prayer. And now, we have two vital
intentions.
First, as you know, the pope has been sick. He received a
tracheotomy to help him breath, and was on a respirator for a while.
He's now breathing on his own and doesn't appear to be in any
immediate danger. Nevertheless, we must face the reality that John
Paul II's days with us appear to be winding down. For many younger
Catholics, who know only his pontificate, his passing could be
devastating.
While it's tempting to ask God to give the Holy Father a few more
years with us, it seems to me a bit wrongheaded. God is sovereign and
knows best what His Church (and the world) needs. Let us then trust
Him, and ask that His will be done, and that we all have the grace to
accept it.
The second subject for our prayer should be the fate of Terri
Schiavo. This afternoon, Florida Circuit Court Judge George Greer
ruled to allow Teri's feeding tube to be removed in three weeks. In
other words, barring some new legal development, he has signed her
death warrant.
There are still appeals and the state's Department of Children and
Families has asked for a 60-day delay to investigate allegations of
abuse against Terri. Nevertheless, this is a tragic development for
those who value human life.
Father Rob Johansen, a past writer for Crisis Magazine, is a friend
of Bob and Mary Schindler (Terri's parents). Yesterday, before he
flew down to Florida to be with them, I was able to talk to him about
the situation.
After filling me in on the latest developments, I had the
opportunity to ask a question that's been on my mind for some time...
Terri and her family are practicing Catholics in the diocese of St.
Petersburg. However, even casual observers of this situation the past
few years have noticed the odd silence from the diocese and Bishop
Robert Lynch.
What's going on?
"To put it bluntly," Fr. Johansen told me, "Bishop Lynch has been
invisible on this matter for the last couple years. He made a few
statements in October 2003. But even those were, in my opinion,
pretty weak. They basically expressed his sympathy and his feeling
that this was a tragic situation."
A quick perusal of the bishop's three statements (available here:
http://www.dioceseofstpete.org/news.php) gives us a bit of a mixed
bag. While the bishop does articulate in several places the Catholic
teaching on these matters, he nowhere applies it forcefully to
Terri's specific situation.
For example, Bishop Lynch writes in his August 12, 2003, statement:
"Our Catholic teaching is also clear that 'nourishment or hydration
may be withheld or withdrawn where that treatment itself is causing
harm to the patient or is useless because the patient's death is
imminent, as long as the patient is made comfortable. In general, the
terms "death is imminent" and "terminally ill" imply that a physician
can predict that the patient will die of the fatal pathology within a
few days or weeks, regardless of what life prolonging methods are
utilized.'"
Precisely. And this statement should be followed by Bishop Lynch
noting that no one in the dispute claims that, barring the removal of
her feeding tube, Terri will die "within a few days or weeks." Nor
can anyone intelligently argue that the food and water are somehow
harming her.
Sadly, that's not what the bishop does. Instead, he follows this
statement by observing that "Terri Schiavo's case is especially
difficult because her actual medical situation is in dispute."
And that's where Bishop Lynch misses an important teaching
opportunity. Since no one is saying that Terri's death is "imminent,"
food and water must not be removed. When the authentic Catholic
teaching is applied to Terri's specific case, the judgment is clear.
To be fair, the bishop also strongly recommends that "Terri's family
be allowed to attempt a medical protocol which they feel would
improve her condition." He also writes that "Catholic teaching notes
that the proxy may not deliberately cause a patient's death or refuse
ordinary and normal treatment, even if he or she believes a patient
would have made such a decision."
The problem with Bishop Lynch's public statements is not that they
are in themselves wrong, but that he doesn't go far enough in
applying Catholic teaching to this specific case. As a result, he
puts too much trust in the actions and motivations of Michael Schiavo
-- Terri's husband and the main actor in the effort to halt her
feeding.
(As you may know, Schiavo has lived with another woman for years and
stands to receive quite a bit of money upon Terri's death. What's
more, after her accident, Prince Charming had her engagement ring and
wedding band melted down to make a ring for himself...and had her
cats put to sleep so he wouldn't have to take care of them.)
When I asked Fr. Rob what we can do to help Terri, he offered
several suggestions:
1. "Pray, not just for Terri but for Michael Schiavo and his lawyer,
George Felos. After all, people's hearts can be turned."
2. Since the ruling comes down today -- a Friday in Lent --
Catholics have a special opportunity to offer up a sacrifice. Don't
underestimate the power of this season.
3. "Get informed about the real issues. Spread the word. The
mainstream media continues to report that Terri is brain dead or
comatose. No one has ever claimed that. Furthermore, contrary to
media reports, this is NOT a right to die case. People need to spread
the word on this. Call their talk radio stations, send e-mails to
friends, and to Florida state representatives." One way to get
informed is to read the article Fr. Rob wrote for us on the situation
in our January 2004 issue. It's the single best overview of the
debate that I've seen and is available for free on our website at:
http://www.crisismagazine.com/january2004/johansen.htm.
(You have full permission to reprint, forward, link to, or quote the
article any way you like. We need to get this information to as many
people as possible.)
4. Finally, if you have the chance and the means, you could also
donate money to www.Terrisfight.org. Due to high web traffic, the
site is down right now (I just tried it), but should be up again
soon.
This is a pivotal day in the fight for the Culture of Life. Let us
pray that truth prevails.
I'll keep you updated as developments arise.
All the best to you,
Brian
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