Santiago, Chile, Mar 23, 2009 / 19:17 pm
The president of the Bishops’ Conference of Chile, Bishop Alejandro Goic Karmelic of Rancagua encouraged the Chilean faithful last week to “be generous in the donation of organs,” but emphasized that the gesture of compassion should be made “freely and without pressure.”
In a press release, the bishop explained that he was addressing the issue in response “to the case of Felipe Cruzat, the boy who is waiting for a heart transplant, and to so many others in the same situation.” He went on to call on all “Chileans to be generous in the donation of organs in order to prolong the life of another human being.”
Felipe Cruzat is an Argentinean boy who has been receiving treatment at a hospital in Chile for 65 days and is currently awaiting a heart transplant.
The bishop continued by saying that the Church “has often spoken about the need to be generous” and to decide to be an organ donor ahead of time “so that when emergencies such as Felipe’s arise they can be easily resolved.”