ROME \u2014 Helping society move from a throwaway culture to \u201cone that cares\u201d is the goal of a Dec. 11-12 conference being co-organized by the Vatican.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sick and the elderly are considered people who have nothing left to offer,\u201d said Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the head of the Vatican\u2019s Pontifical Academy for Life.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are not productive, they are not useful, they constitute a weight for our societies that have efficiency as the absolute goal. This is a challenge denounced by Pope Francis: The throwaway culture.\u201d<\/p>\n
Titled \u201cReligion and Medical Ethics Symposium: Palliative Care and Mental Health of the Elderly,\u201d the event will have the participation of 250 people from all over the world.<\/p>\n
The conference is being co-hosted by Qatar\u2019s World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), created in 2012, with the support of the\u00a0BMJ<\/em>, the UK\u2019s most prominent medical journal.<\/p>\n \u201cThe interfaith nature of this event, and the involvement of experts from both faith and medical backgrounds, will provide a priceless opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the very real ethical dilemmas experienced by healthcare practitioners from different spiritual backgrounds across our world when dealing with these sensitive and yes, difficult subjects,\u201d said Dr. Sultana Afdhal, Chief Executive Officer of WISH.<\/p>\n Afdhal, Paglia and\u00a0BMJ<\/em>\u00a0executive editor Dr. Kamran Abbasi spoke to journalists about the conference on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Although the Catholic Church is both in favor of palliative care and against assisted suicide and euthanasia, Afdhal said Islam doesn\u2019t have one singular position; though in Qatar, a fatwa was introduced in 1999 regarding a patient\u2019s right to choose not to be resuscitated.<\/p>\n According to Paglia, what brings all three organizations together is the goal of creating a \u201cculture of palliative care,\u201d both to respond to \u201cthe temptation that comes from euthanasia and assisted suicide, but above all, to grow a culture of care that is able to offer loving care up until death.\u201d<\/p>\n The prelate noted that, on the one hand, society is \u201cgrowing old\u201d and on the other hand, there\u2019s a \u201cproliferation of the culture of euthanasia\u201d because terminally ill patients and the elderly are considered disposable in a world that is \u201ccentered on profit and economy, and healthcare often cedes to a mentality of accountants.\u201d<\/p>\n Even when a patient is terminally ill, Paglia argued, medicine can still \u201ccare\u201d for the human person, even when it can\u2019t \u201cheal it.\u201d \u201cThere are Christians in Qatar, and there are Muslims outside of our country,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The dialogue, she said, can help build a \u201ccommon ground,\u201d that will help find more effective ways to \u201cbridge differences in ethical approaches based on faith, whether actual or perceived.\u201d<\/p>\n The actual alleviation of suffering, she said, requires a willingness to consider a person\u2019s spiritual needs, as well as their physical and mental ones.<\/p>\n Abbasi said that the conference is in line with the core values of the\u00a0BMJ<\/em>: Being transparent, open and trusted; patient-centered; evidence-based; and, more broadly, promoting a healthier world.\u00a0When it comes to caring for the elderly and the terminally ill, he said, religious beliefs and evidence must work in harmony to help patients and families face challenges that come with old age and disease.<\/p>\n At a moment of \u201cglobal discord, disharmony and danger,\u201d Abbasi said, \u201cit is symbolic that we are gathering here at the Vatican to show the power of people from all faiths and backgrounds in coming together to solve the world\u2019s problems.\u201d<\/p>\n Afdhal acknowledged participants would be discussing some \u201cvery emotive matters\u201d during the two-day conference, such as suicide among older members of society and the end of life care for children.<\/p>\n \u201cI realize these will be very difficult areas for us to debate. However, it is both right and important that we do not shy away from these topics, and I believe our discussions can only benefit those who are affected and afflicted by such issues,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Follow In\u00e9s San Mart\u00edn on Twitter:\u00a0<\/em>@inesanma<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n
\nAfdhal, who flew in from Qatar for the symposium, said that she is convinced the sharing of knowledge between religions and medical healthcare experts can enrich both, as \u201cwe will all gain\u201d from understanding how faiths respond to these issues.<\/p>\n