Compassionate Communities & Accompaniment at the end of life

Written by +William T. McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary | July 1, 2024

In June, we celebrated the Sacred Heart of Jesus where the heart of our Lord is adored as a three-fold symbol of love: human, spiritual and divine. This symbol of love for us as Christians is demonstrated in our commitment to the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The most common corporal work of mercy is to care for the sick and to accompany those who are dying.
 
This past May I was privileged to participate in an international interfaith symposium "Towards a Narrative of Hope" on palliative care in Toronto. It brought together Catholic Bishops, many other faith leaders, health care providers, and various professionals who are aware of the need to advocate and ensure that our communities provide the best, most comprehensive accompaniment and care possible to the sick and dying, and their families. In the face of euthanasia and medically assisted suicide in our country, this symposium offered an authentic witness of a true compassionate society that values all human life. The following are excerpts from the address that I gave at the symposium.  

​We know that illness or infirmity will touch almost every person and every family in one way or another. How we as individuals, healthcare workers and our institutions respond to the needs of the sick and dying reflects the kind of society we are. It is my firm belief that this symposium on palliative care will make an important contribution to improving our society by exploring how we can all respond more compassionately and holistically to the sick, especially those who are dying, thus opening new horizons of hope not only for individual patients and their families but for humanity as a whole.

In his message for the World Day of the Sick this year, His Holiness Pope Francis stated, “The sick, the vulnerable and the poor are at the heart of the Church; they must also be at the heart of our human concern and pastoral attention.” He further stated, “to those who experience illness, whether temporary or chronic, I would say this: Do not be ashamed of your longing for closeness and tenderness. Do not conceal it, and never think that you are a burden on others. The condition of the sick urges us all to step back from the hectic pace of our lives in order to rediscover ourselves.”

“The sick, the vulnerable and the poor are at the heart of the Church; they must also be at the heart of our human concern and pastoral attention.” ~Pope Francis, World Day of the Sick 2024.

Unfortunately, our present culture offers a contrasting narrative and set of values. After receiving a serious health diagnosis, individuals often grapple with feeling like a burden to their families and thus struggle with the sense that their worth as a person has diminished. Many other people experience fear when anticipating the pain of suffering which they may encounter through an illness or the experience of dying. There are other factors that also heighten this reality including challenges related to those living in poverty, those with disabilities who may be alone or marginalized, and those who already have multiple and complex health and relational needs. Families and caregivers can also struggle with keeping up with the demands that are required of them in providing care. 

[E]uthanasia and assisted suicide are not solutions to the problem of illness and dying. In fact, it places many at risk, and it is eroding our social responsibility to care for one another." ~Bishop McGrattan

In the midst of these challenges, several countries have seen a rise in this cultural thinking. This confusion is particularly evident today in discussions surrounding euthanasia. For example, laws permitting euthanasia or assisted suicide are sometimes called “death with dignity”. (Dignitas Infinita #51). The abandonment of the vulnerable and their isolation is also complicated by the reduction of healthcare services without ensuring the provision for a “wholistic therapeutic covenant” between physicians, patients, family and the community.

​It has become urgent for us to think about solutions and alternatives, as well as political action at the international, national and local levels. We who have gathered for this symposium believe that euthanasia and assisted suicide are not solutions to the problem of illness and dying. In fact, it places many at risk, and it is eroding our social responsibility to care for one another. 

Palliative care effectively responds to a person’s suffering, whether physical, psychological, social, or spiritual. It approaches illness, aging, and dying as normal experiences in the stages of one’s life. “Certainly, the dignity of those who are critically or terminally ill calls for all suitable and necessary efforts to alleviate their suffering through appropriate palliative care and by avoiding aggressive treatments or disproportionate medical procedures.” (Dignitas Infinita #52)  This approach corresponds with the “enduring responsibility to appreciate the needs of the sick person: care needs, pain relief, and affective and spiritual needs.” (Samaritanus Bonus #4)

​​Palliative care neither seeks to hasten death nor to unduly prolong suffering or postpone a person’s death. Human fragility and our limitations at the end of life do not mean failure. Rather, the experience of our human liminality in the process of dying is ultimately an encounter that can be lived in the presence of others, that allows for a meaningful time with family members and friends, and that ultimately affirms the dignity of the person created in God’s image.

Palliative care neither seeks to hasten death nor to unduly prolong suffering or postpone a person’s death. [It] is ultimately an encounter that can be lived in the presence of others, that allows for a meaningful time with family members and friends, and that ultimately affirms the dignity of the person created in God’s image." ~Bishop McGrattan

We believe that this vision for humanity opens up the possibility for churches, faith communities and like-minded organizations to play a role in affirming human dignity and advocating for healthcare that adequately responds to this need. Palliative care is multidimensional care in that it brings together people from many disciplines and areas of society. Similar to those gathered at the symposium who are specialists in palliative medicine and research, healthcare professionals, academics in the field of ethics and theology, communication specialists, legal and policy experts, pastoral workers, and volunteers.

The Bishops in Canada have been committed to promoting and defending life by consistently speaking against the legal expansion of euthanasia and assisted suicide and by focusing efforts on an effective alternative, namely palliative care. In 2019, the CCCB and partners published Horizons of Hope: A Toolkit for Catholic Parishes on Palliative Care. This parish-based community pastoral resource begins with understanding the experience of death and the dying process, then moves to decision-making about how to seek the appropriate medical, familial and social supports. It continues with the importance of accompaniment at the end of life and finishes with the urgent need to promote Compassionate Communities that are integrated into the wider community of society.

The Renewal that has begun throughout the diocese in our parishes can begin to reflect the love of the heart of Jesus in becoming those compassionate communities, and in offering Horizons of Hope: A Toolkit for Catholic Parishes on Palliative Care.