The Catholic Weekly 26 April 2020

14 26, April, 2020 W orld catholicweekly.com.au Austria to re-open churches in May AUSTRIA WILL further loos- en its precautionary lockdown measures to allow churches to reopen in the country as of 15 May. The Secretary-General of the Austrian Catholic Bish- ops’ Conference, Fr Peter Schipka confirmed the news, following an announcement by Austrian Prime Minister, Sebastian Kurz. The Prime Minister said on Tuesday that restaurants, churches and some schools can reopen from the middle of next month. Austria’s Bishops have al- ready begun working on plans to organise the reopening. They have entered into talks with the government, even though specific details are still to be defined. Prime Minister Kurz spec- ified that reopening will be a “step-by-step” process which will involve increasing the number of coronavirus tests in the country. He also in- sisted on the importance of full compliance with the pre- scribed rules for public safety. “First and foremost, safe dis- tance,” he said. Responding to the news, Cardinal Christoph Schön- born, the President of the Aus- trian Bishops’ Conference, tweeted on Tuesday: “We will soon be able to celebrate the Eucharist together with great joy and responsibility.” Austria was one of the first European countries to adopt lockdown measures. After its first two confirmed Covid-19 cases in February, Austrians were asked to stay home from 16 March. As of Wednesday, the country has reported 14,925 confirmed cases, with 510 deaths and 11,328 recovered patients. Austrian Government of- ficials have waived their sti- pends for one month and departmental heads have do- nated their salaries to charity to support efforts against the spread of Covid-19. - VATICAN NEWS LIKE THEIR British coun- terparts the Mexican bish- ops’ conference issued ethical guidelines as the COVID-19 crisis worsens in Mexico and medical staff are potential- ly forced to make life-and- death decisions on which pa- tients receive treatment, and which ones are denied access to equipment like ventilators. The guidelines warn ¾ ¾ David Agren ‘Patients are equal’ Mexican bishops speak out Doctors must never withhold treatment on basis of disability or age, say bishops ELDERLY AND disabled coronavirus patients have the same right to life-prolonging treatment as others, the bish- ops of England and Wales have said. In a 20 April statement the bishops noted that the pan- demic had placed immense strain on Britain’s National Health Service (NHS). “With the escalation of the coronavirus, demand on NHS resources is outstripping sup- ply and those responsible for our care and well-being are facing challenging decisions,” they said. Nevertheless, they argued, doctors struggling with scarce resources must never de- cide against treating patients based on factors such as disa- bility or age. “A decision against offer- ing a certain life-prolonging treatment to an individual must never be a judgement based on the worthwhileness of that person’s life, including Medical workers protest to demand better protective equipment to treat patients on 15 April. PHOTO: CNS/JOSE LUIS GONZALEZ, REUTERS their age or other social char- acteristics, but a pragmatic decision about the likelihood of him/her benefiting from the intervention given their medical condition,” the bish- ops said. They added that this princi- ple was enshrined in the NHS Constitution, as well as case law. “Until the current pandem- ic, resources have always been allocated according to med- ical need and benefit to the patient,” they said. “Today this approach must be complemented by maxi- mizing scarce resources for the common good, and so prognosis, and the likelihood of benefit, becomes the over- riding criteria.” The bishops said they had spoken out in response to those expressing concern about whether they or their loved ones would receive life support at a time of “medical rationing.” “While we would all agree that the allocation of resourc- es must be done as fairly as possible, the criteria of fair- ness must be clear and shared by us all,” they said. “These principles apply both morally and in the law which governs our expectations and rights on health and social care.” “As Catholics, our starting point is that we are all made equally in the image of God (CCC 357). Human value is not a measure of our mental or physical capacity, our so- cietal function, our age, our health or of any other quali- tative assessment. God made each of us and in so doing gave us all equal dignity and value. This is never lost during sickness or dying.” The bishops urged those with underlying health con- ditions to discuss with their families what kind of treat- ment they would wish to re- ceive. “Each of us may be pre- sented with clinical scenarios which are both unwelcome and distressing, yet doctors are faced with making the least-worst decisions,” they said. “This approach helps us to focus on the common good.” “Similarly, Catholics will focus on the benefit of a par- ticular treatment for the per- son taking into considera- tion all medical factors. This, again, helps us to focus on the common good of all and best meets the principles of justice and equality.” The bishops appealed to medical staff to communicate clearly and sensitively with patients and their loved ones. They added: “We must always be mindful of the spiritual care of patients and their families, as well as of health and social care staff. Our chaplains have a par- ticular role in this regard, but we will all know someone for whom we can pray and offer support.” More than 124,000 people have contracted COVID-19 in the United Kingdom and more than 16,500 have died as of 21 April. - CNA against any actions which could effectively be forms of euthanasia. In both the Mexican and British cases, the bishops ac- knowledged that while tough decisions must bemade in the current pandemic, age should not be the only criteria for de- ciding which patients receive treatment. The Mexican guidelines recognised that triage, “the orderly and just classification of patients, according to their chances of survival,” is nec- essary and occurs the world over. But the bishops warned, “It is foreseeable that in Mexi- co it will be necessary to carry out patient selection process- es in order to assign different types of care. “These processes must be carried out by simultaneously taking into account the urgen- cy of the case, the needs that must be addressed and that the resources assigned are as beneficial as possible for the patient.” On 11 April, Mexico’s General Health Council is- sued guidelines that many in Mexico interpreted as favour- ing treatment for the young over the old but revised them on 16 April. The guidelines also advise “avoiding all actions, whether explicit or covert, which could be euthanistic or entail thera- peutic cruelty.” - CNS As Catholics, our starting point is that we are all made equally in the image and likeness of God. Human value is not a measure of our mental or physical capac- ity, our societal function, our age ...” Bishops of England and Wales statement An elderly man walks into a British hospital.