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t eanc 0 VOL. 39, NO. 14
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Friday, ~pril 7,1995
FALL RIVER, MASS.
FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly
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State's bishops urge legislators to reject "Death with Dignity" bill
POPE JOHN PAUL II leads the 1994 Good Friday procession at Rome's Colosseum. This year's procession will be broadcast live from 3: 15 to 4:30 p.m. April 14. (CNS/ Mari photo)
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Bi~hop
The Catholic bishops of Massachusetts have sent a statement to members of the Joint Legislative Judiciary Committee expressing their opposition to House Bill 3173, "An Act to Allow Death with Dignity." It follows: ST ATEMENT TO THE JOINT LEGISL.ATIVE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE We write at this time to voice strong opposition to House Bill 3173 entitled" An Act to Allow Death with Dignity." We have decided to take this step because we fear that some of you, like so many others, could be misled by the euphemistic title given to the Bill and thus fail to miss its basic thrust. It must be made clear that its primary purpose is to permit physicians to assist terminally ill patients in acts of suicide. As religious leaders of a faith community, our objection to this Bill is rooted in several elements of biblical teaching: (I) that human life is a gift from God, who alone has absolute ownership over it; (2) that human beings have the obligation to nourish, care and protect
it; (3) that the Decalogue, which is binding on all human beings, forbids the direct taking of innocent human life be this done by oneself or by another. We also stand in opposition to this Bill as citizens of the Commonwealth. History has shown that once a society allows one individual to take the life of another based on their private standards of what constitutes a life worth living, even when there is mutual agreement, there can be no safe or sure way to contain its possible consequences. Killing, as one author puts it, is "a contagious disease." Human experience demonstrates that once it is legalized there is no way to delimit its arbitrary use and spiraling application. One has only to reflect on the Nazi Experiment and on a government report recently released from the Netherlands that more than half of the patients who died as a result of physician assisted suicide did so without informed consent. We are, of course, keenly sensitive to the fact that advances in medical technology are capable of
prolonging the dying process often far beyond what is reasonable. We also understand why this has led many people to fear that they will not be allowed to die with the dignity befitting a human being. The spectre of extreme pain and agony haunts many persons. Today, however, there are many means of palliative care available which will reduce pain in a licit manner. The Pope's encyclical reminds us that euthanasia is "false mercy" which in effect "kills the person whose suffering we cannot bear." (EV 66). In addition, we recognize that many health care professionals live in fear of being sued even when they legitimately remove treatment which offers no reasonable hope of benefit to the patient or becomes excessively burdensome. The legislation proposed by House Bill 3173 does not offer a legitimate solution to these problems. It seriously confuses the issues and renders them more problematic. Physician assisted suicide may provide what some would call "a quick fix" but what it proposes in Turn to Page 13
Robert Mulvee installed as Providence coadjutor
By James N. Dunbar PROVIDENCE, R.I. (CNS)More than 1,500 people filled Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral March 27 to celebrate Bishop Robert E. M ulvee's arrival as the new coadjutor bishop of Providence. Bishop Mulvec, 65, a look-alike for Hartford Archbishop Daniel A. Cronin, has been a bishop since 1977 and had been bishop of Wilmington, Del., since 1985. In Providence he will assist Bishop Louis E. Gelineau, 66, who has been head of the Providence diocese since 1972. As coadjutor, Bishop Mulvee has automatic right of succession in the event of Bishop Gelineau's transfer, retirement or death. The Providence diocese, which covers the state of Rhode Island, is just one-fifth the area of the Wilmington diocese, but has more than four times as many Catholics. With nearly 650,000 Catholics in a total population of a little more than a million, Rhode Island has the highest percentage of Catholics in the nation. Four cardinals and 37 archbishops and bishops were among those present for the Mass and welcoming ceremonies. Bishop Mulvee was principal celebrant. In his homily he stressed the Second Vatican Council teaching that not bishops alone, but priests, religious and lay people "must cooperate in a common undertak-
ing with one heart, the saving mission of the church." He said that during a trip to Calcutta he asked Mother Teresa what advice she had for him as a bishop. Her answer, he said, was: "Bishop, stay out of God's way. Let God do the leading, especially if you don't know where the road is going." "It is very sound advice," he said. ' He noted that in the history of his former diocese, Wilmington, there have been two coadjutors: "The first one dropped dead after six months. The other succeeded to the see but only after the bishop turned 85. "So I suppose Bishop Gelineau's coat-of-arms, 'Rejoice in Hope,' might probably be mine," he joked. "He's probably Sitting there saying, 'The last time,they gave me an angel. Lord knows what they gave me this time,''' he added. Former Providence Auxiliary Bishop Kenneth A. Angell, bishop of Burlington, Vt., since 1992, was among those at the installation. Joking about the former auxiliary's more imposing physique, he said: "I want to publicly admit that Bishop Angell is a bigger man than I am. Not much 'rejoice in hope' there." Archbishop Daniel A. Cronin of Hartford, Conn. - whose ecclesiastical province includes the
Providence diocese - said he and Bishop M ulvee look so much alike that once at a convention Bishop Mulvee was ushered into a limousine that was meant for him, and he had to take a bus.
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"Later 'Bishop M ulvee told me, 'Thanks, Dan, for the use of your car,' " he said. Among those at the ceremonies were Cardinals Bernard F. Law of Boston, William H. Keeler of Bal-
timore, Anthony J. Bevilacqua of Philadelphia and James A. Hickey of Washington. Bishop Sean O'Malley headed a delegation of diocesan administrators in attendance.
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STUDENTS OF St. Patrick's School, Providence, greet Bishops Robert E. Mulvee (nearer camera) and Louis E. Gelineau. Note Bishop Mulvee's resemblance to former Fall River Bishop Daniel A. Cronin. (CNS/ Huntington photo)