VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE   
   YEAR XXII - # 039   
   DATE 24-02-2015   
      
   Summary:   
   - End of life assistance to the elderly, theme of the 21st assembly of the   
   Pontifical Council pro Vita   
   - In Memoriam   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    End of life assistance to the elderly, theme of the 21st assembly of the   
   Pontifical Council pro Vita   
    Vatican City, 24 February 2015 (VIS) - The Pontifical Academy pro Vita will   
   dedicate its upcoming general assembly to end of life assistance to the   
   elderly. The assembly, which will take place in the New Synod Hall from 5 to 7   
   March, is the 21st to be held by this institution, and the official theme is   
   "Assisting the Elderly and Palliative Care".   
    During the assembly, on 6 March, there will be a workshop open to the public,   
   especially scholars, healthcare and pastoral workers, and students who are   
   interested in acquiring a deeper knowledge of the theme from a number of   
   viewpoints: theological-philosophical, ethical and medical, cultural and   
   social.   
    In the first session of the Workshop, "Clinical care for the elderly at the   
   end of life", following a brief general introduction to the theme by Bishop   
   Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, president of the Pontifical Academy pro Vita, a   
   number of specific issues will be considered, such as medical care for the   
   elderly with chronic degenerative illlnesses, the use and abuse of analgesics   
   in palliative care, nursing care for the terminally ill, and clinical   
   decision-making processes for the elderly at the end of life.   
    The second session will be dedicated to ethical and anthropological   
   perspectives, and will focus on the central role of relationships with the   
   elderly in family, social and hospital contexts, and guidelines for   
   accompanying the elderly as they near death, with respect for their dignity   
   and avoiding any form of abandonment or euthanasia.   
    The day will conclude with the analysis of socio-cultural perspectives. The   
   third session will be dedicated to the spirituality of the elderly in later   
   year, legal aspects of the end of life, pastoral care and the role of the   
   family, ending with the question, "What is social solidarity?".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    In Memoriam   
    Vatican City, 24 February 2015 (VIS) - The following prelates have died in   
   recent weeks:   
    - Archbishop Pierre-Andre Fournier of Rimouski, Canada, on 10 January at the   
   age of 71.   
    - Bishop James Naanman Daman, O.S.A, of Shendam, Nigeria, on 12 January at   
   the age of 58.   
    - Bishop Joseph Mukasa Zuza of Mzuzu, Malawi, on 15 January at the age of 59.   
    - Bishop Jose Maria Hernandez Gonzalez, emeritus of Netzahualcoyotl, Mexico,   
   on 19 January at the age of 88.   
    - Archbishop Jose Martins da Silva, S.D.N. emeritus of Porto Velho, Brazil,   
   on 29 January at the age of 78.   
    - Bishop Adalberto Arturo Rosat, O.F.M., prelate emeritus of Aiquile,   
   Bolivia, on 31 January at the age of 81.   
    - Bishop Vincent Valentine Egwuchukwu Ezeonyia, C.S.Sp., of Aba, Nigeria, on   
   8 February at the age of 73.   
    - Bishop Abel Costas Montano, emeritus of Tarija, Bolivia, on 11 February at   
   the age of 94.   
    - Cardinal Karl Josef Becker, S.J. †Deacon of San Giuliano Martire, on 10   
   February at the age of 86.   
    - Bishop Thomas Bhalerao, S.J. emeritus of Nashik, India, on 13 February at   
   the age of 82.   
    - Bishop Magnus Mwalunyungu, emeritus of Tunduru-Masasi, Tanzania, on 13   
   February at the age of 84.   
    - Bishop Joseph Devellerez Thaung Shwe , emeritus of Pyay, Myanmar, on 17   
   February at the age of 79.   
    - Archbishop Antonio Lanfranchi, of Modena-Nonantola, Italy, on 17 February   
   at the age of 68.   
    - Bishop Bernardo Enrique Witte, O.M.I. emeritus of Concepcion, on 21   
   February at the age of 88.   
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
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   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)