Pope orders Belgian religious group to stop offering euthanasia to patients

Vatican City, Aug 10, 2017 / 09:16 am

Pope Francis is cracking down on a Belgian Brothers of Charity-run organization, giving the group until the end of August to stop offering euthanasia to patients in their psychiatric centers.

In addition, each of the religious brothers serving on the board of the Brothers of Charity Group, the organization that runs the centers, has been ordered to sign a joint letter to their general superior, Br. Rene Stockman, declaring their adherence to Church teaching.

Brothers who refuse to sign the letter will face punitive action under canon law, while the group itself is expected to face legal action and could have its Catholic status revoked if it does not change its policy.

The Vatican order, sent at the beginning of August, follows several prior requests that the group drop the policy, which allows doctors to euthanize non-terminal mentally ill patients on its grounds.

In comments to CNA Aug. 10, Br. Stockman said he initially went to the Vatican for help in the spring, when the group, which is a state organization run by the order, decided to change their policy on euthanasia on the grounds that their stance was culturally abnormal.

Since the year 2000, the group has maintained a firm policy against euthanasia and how to cope with requests for it, he said, explaining that as a state organization, they take requests for euthanasia seriously, and try to help the patient regain their desire for life, "knowing of course that someone who is very depressive can have the tendency to ask for euthanasia."

After doing everything possible to help alleviate any depression present in a patient, if the individual still requests euthanasia – which is legal in Belgium – the brothers would transfer them elsewhere.

"We don't accept that euthanasia should be done inside our institutes," Br. Stockman said, noting that this had been the organization's firm policy until last year, when the group "started to deflect," claiming that the Catholic position was "unique" in Belgium, where euthanasia is widely accepted, even for children.

The group argued that they had to "adapt," and so developed a new vision that Br. Stockman said "we could not accept as a congregation."

Despite the fact that all board members are Catholic, and some have high political profiles, in Belgium "secularization is very, very high, very strong," Br. Stockman said, "so you have to ask yourself what is Catholic still?"

In response to the group's decision to change the policy, "we said very clearly first of all, for us respect of life must always be absolute," the superior general said.

However, he said, the group responded that "respect of life is fundamental, but autonomy for the person is on the same level," and once the two are placed on the same level, "then the autonomy of the patient becomes absolute, and not respect for life."

Despite meeting resistance from Br. Stockman, the group insisted on implementing their new policy, which went into effect in June for each of the 15 psychiatric centers they run throughout Belgium.

As a response, the general superior went to the Belgian Catholic Bishops Conference and asked that they back him in the debate. When the organization continued to resist, despite pressure from the bishops conference, Br. Stockman took the issue to the Vatican.

He was eventually invited to present the issue before both the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith and the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, both of which became involved in investigating the issue.

The doctrinal congregation then promptly drafted a letter reiterating the Church's position on euthanasia and insisted that the group step back into line with doctrine. However, the letter was ignored.

Br. Stockman then received a specific mandate from the Congregation for Consecrated Life "to see that the organization can again be in line" with Church teaching.

Part of his mandate is enforcing the ultimatum and gathering the group's response by the end of August. Br. Stockman said he has not spoken with Pope Francis personally, but that it is the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life who conceived the ultimatum and presented it to the Pope, who gave it his full support.

Of the three brothers who are members of the organization's board of trustees – the majority of board consists of laypeople – Br. Stockman said he is still waiting for their answers, but is "quite positive about that, I can say that, I think the brothers will conform themselves."

To ask the brothers to reaffirm their adherence to Church teaching is "logical," he said, because "when you are a religious, then you have to be in line with the Church."

"I know them and they are really under pressure from the whole mentality," he said, but voiced confidence that they will send the letter without any problems.

As for the organization itself, the general superior said he has been in contact with the board members. "They said they received the letter and that they will discuss again in their board the situation," he said, adding "I am waiting for the final answer."

When asked if there was fear that even if the organization does change the policy back, they would be forced by the state to provide euthanasia, Br. Stockman said that thankfully, as of now institutions can't be forced, "so I think we also have to use this opening not to do it."

"If the law changes and they say that institutions have to do euthanasia, then the situation becomes totally different. Then we have to ask ourselves, can we still continue as a Catholic hospital in a certain environment where we are forced to do euthanasia?"

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"But until now we have the possibility to refuse euthanasia inside the walls of the institute," he said.