“Absurd and chilling” were the comments of the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano about the court decision which sentenced Terri Schiavo to an atrocious death: by starvation. Terri had not committed any crime, the paper continued, other than that of being 'useless' in an expendable society that cannot understand the value of life
.Terri Schiavo died on March 31, 2005, in the Pinellas Park Woodside Hospice after her feeding tube had been removed 13 days earlier. Sister Katherine Maria and Sister Mary Elizabeth joined the prayer vigil of the 200 supporters outside the hospice on March 30. Many of the people there were so touched by Terri's story that they flew from other states, making this their first involvement in a pro-life cause. Terri's parents, Mary and Bob Shindler were generously given unlimited access to the building across the street by the owners. The Shindlers had been introduced to the Sisters at the March for Life by Debi Vennidge, director of Children of God for Life (www.cogforlife.org).
Sister Katherine Maria and Sister Mary Elizabeth extended the prayerful support and compassion of Saint Benedict Center, to Terri's family. The family's warmth and graciousness toward supporters increased the pathos and agony of this dramatic situation.
The
truth about Terri's condition was not reported by the major networks and newspapers. The 41year-old Florida woman, although extensively handicapped due to brain damage, was not on any life support system nor terminally ill. The sworn affidavits of two nurses who cared for her reveal that therapy and rehabilitative measures were denied to her which could have dramatically improved her condition. They testified that Terri was able to say such things as “hi, mommy, help me, (and) pain.”Getting to the heart of the issue as the L'Osservatore Romano pointed out, no one has the right to determine whether another human being should die. Even if Terri's condition had been worse, food and water constitute ordinary means which should not be denied her. Such an act is nothing else but murder, said Cardinal Renato Martino, speaking for the Vatican. When asked who should be held responsible, the cardinal replied, “the judges, her husband, whoever denied access to feeding.”
The death of the Holy Father providentially coincided with this shocking case of euthanasia which like the infamous Roe V. Wade decision, is the “watershed case for the right to die.” The Holy Father was also on a tem
porary feeding tube in his last days, died in a dignified Christian manner, expiring at the moment Our Lord willed it. Through his 26-year pontificate, Pope John Paul II strongly condemned euthanasia. Ironically, his death and Terri's mark the tenth anniversary of his encyclical Evangelium Vitae (March 25, 1995). In it we find the Pope's uncompromising stand: “I confirm that euthanasia is a grave violation of the law of God, since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person. This doctrine is based upon the natural law and upon the written word of God, is transmitted by the Church's Tradition and taught by the Ordinary and Universal Magisterium. It (euthanasia) is one of the more alarming symptoms of the 'culture of death' which is advancing above all in prosperous societies, marked by an attitude of excessive preoccupation with efficiency and which sees the growing number of elderly and disabled people as intolerable and too burdensome.”
PRINT AND REPRINTSaint Benedict Center is proud to present Gate of Heaven, one of its classic publications, written by Sister Catherine, M.I.C.M., (Catherine Goddard Clarke) the co-foundress of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In this book, first published in 1951, Sister Catherine Clarke, system
atically refutes the accusations of the liberal theologians and hierarchy who sought to dismiss the important doctrine of “No Salvation outside the Church” as outdated. Sister presents her case with relentless clarity, confirming her stand with the ancient teachings and canons of the Church, defined by popes and councils.This and other publications, such as “From the Housetops,” are part of the Slaves' apostolate of publishing and printing, which is a full-time production. The Sisters take care of the layout and design. Then, it's off to the shop where it will be printed by the Brothers on our four-color press. From there it is packaged and mailed to your house!