The Catholic Weekly 17 October 2021

catholicweekly.com.au 2 NEWS 17, October, 2021 POPE FRANCIS said he in- tends to declare as a doctor of the church St Irenaeus of Lyon, the second-century the- ologian known for his defence of orthodoxy amid the rise of gnostic sects. “Your patron, St Irenaeus of Lyon – whom I will soon declare a doctor of the church with the title, ‘doctor unitatis’ (‘doctor of unity’) - Law’s effects in NSWeasy to predict warns former Deputy Premier Rich will benefit, the rest ... give in A woman visits and talks with her mother in a hospice. Former NSW Deputy Premier JohnWatkins has warned of the consequenc- es of legalising euthanasia in NSW. PHOTO: CNS, LISA JOHNSTON I n this edition Our story begins in 1839 with the Australasian Chronicle, continuing with the Freeman’s Journal in 1850. Level 13, Polding Centre, 133 Liverpool Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. Phone (02) 9390 5400 | Vol 73, No 5206. The Catholic Weekly is published by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney ABN 60 471 267 587 and is printed by ACM Australian Community Media, 159 Bells Line of Road, North Richmond NSW, 2754. News Movies, books Archbishop’s homily Editorial & Letters 1-13 8-9 21 24-25 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Kenny (02) 9390 5348 EDITOR Peter Rosengren (02) 9390 5400 REPORTERS Marilyn Rodrigues (02) 9390 5410 Debbie Cramsie (02) 9390 5396 SUBSCRIPTIONS Rita Ng (02) 9390 5411 ADVERTISING AND MARKETING Steve Richards (02) 9390 5404 Katie Clarke (02) 9390 5402 DESIGNERS Renate Cassis Mathew De Sousa Faith in the trajectory of life catch it now at: thiscatholiclife.com.au DOWNLOAD THE OUR FAITH OUR WORKS APP Your one-stop location for Mass and Confession times, spiritual reflections and meditations, podcasts, local Catholic news, the Go Make Disciples mission plan, and much more. To download the app visit ourfaithourworks.org/app or scan the QR Code. Call Katie on (02) 9390 5402 www.catholicjobsonline.com. au Find the career you deserve Irenaeus to be Doctor CONTINUED FROM P1 in the field of palliative care. New treatments like intrath- ecal care and nerve block- ing are enabling people with life-ending conditions to achieve a quality of life inaccessible last century. “The problem is right now only a tiny fraction of our population has access to this modern palliative care. If you are among the privileged few who are very wealthy, live in the right area, or have great health insurance, you can get access to life-extending mod- ern palliative treatments. “But if you’re poor, live in the wrong area and have no health insurance, your chanc- es of accessing modern palli- ative care is close to nil. If you are offered any end-of-life care – and there’s no guaran- tee you will be – it will look far more like the 20th century model than the modern pos- sibilities. “We could fix this. The Aus- tralian Medical Association estimates it would cost about an extra $275 million a year to make quality supportive care available to all terminal- ly ill Australians who need it each year,” he said. “Surely any compassionate government in 2021 should be pushing for the average person to get modern palliative care long before they get access to death. “If we continue along the path we’re on, if we offer VAD and not modern supportive care, you can easily project the result. It will be a society in which terminally ill rich peo- ple get to extend their lives, achieve some level of closure and peace, and then die with- out pain. Terminally ill poor people, on the other hand, will be increasingly pressured to shuffle off and die quickly ‘with dignity.’” If we continue along the path we’re on, if we offer VAD and not modern supportive care, you can easily predict the result. It will be a society in which terminally ill rich people get to ex- tend their lives, achieve some level of closure and peace and then die without pain. Terminally ill poor people ... will be increasingly pressured to shuffle off and die quickly ‘with dignity.’ John Watkins, CHA Chair came from the East, exercised his episcopal ministry in the West, and was a great spiritual and theological bridge be- tween Eastern and Western Christians,” he said during a meeting on 7 October with members of the St Irenae- us Joint Orthodox-Catholic Working Group. According to its website, the purpose of the Group is “to investigate the profound differences in men- tality, ways of thinking and of doing theology which are re- lated to current problems in Orthodox-Catholic dialogue, to understand their character, and to try to see how both tra- ditions can enrich each other without losing their own iden- tity.” - CNS A stained glass window depicts the Second Century saint who will be named a Doctor of the Church. PHOTO: CNS, CROSIERS