End of Life Issues

As Catholics, we respect and love life from conception to natural death. End of life issues, such as the proper treatment of the sick, threat of euthanasia, living wills (advanced healthcare directives), and capital punishment are the source of much debate. Anyone who has journeyed with a dying loved one will appreciate the need for clear and sensitive pastoral direction. In this section you will find some documents which highlight these concerns. See below tabs for the rights of the sick and euthanasia.

Living Wills (Advanced Healthcare Directives)

Some Catholics perceive these documents as a doorway to promoting direct euthansia, that is, the direct taking of a human life. However, the Church does acknowledge the importance of the autonomy of the individual and the importance of his or her participation in healthcare decisions. The best preparation is to choose a proxy, a representative who will make decisions according to your preferences, in the event a patient is impaired. An understanding of the Church’s teachings on hydration and nutrition for persons in a vegetative state is also necessary. Below you will find several articles which help to illuminate our understanding of end-of-life care.

Statement from the USCCB on Euthanasia (USCCB website)

We encourage you to consider your healthcare options now, prior to any life-threatening situation. This link will bring you to an approved Catholic healthcare directive:

https://njcatholic.org/advance-directives

Capital Punishment

The Church promotes respect for human life even in the face of crimes against society. We believe that human life should be preserved, even the life of a convicted criminal. Since we have many options in our country for preserving the life of the criminal while keeping society safe, we, as Catholics, must oppose capital punishment.

Statement from the USCCB on Capital Punishent and the Death Penalty

In the first video, Jennifer Ruggiero, Diocese of Metuchen, and James J. King, New Jersey Catholic Conference, discuss end of life essentials, including a pastoral way to help friends and loved ones begin to understand and process end of life and End of life care.

In the second video, Dr. Charles Camosy, professor of medical humanities at the Creighton University School of Medicine, and James J. King, New Jersey Catholic Conference, discuss the impact of physician-assisted suicide on society and current trends regarding end of life issues.

Bishop reflects on "Aid in Dying" Law:

As the Bishop of a Diocese, I am frequently asked to issue “statements” on a variety of subjects and I often do.  I try to be very careful in what I write and preach, avoiding topics of a political nature, keeping in mind my responsibility to use opportunities that I have to address and teach the faithful on matters of faith and morals.  I prefer to label my writings as “reflections” or “messages,” more homiletic in nature and content, designed to encourage believers to follow the Gospels of Jesus Christ and to apply the teachings of the Church to issues or events of contemporary relevance to Catholics in our Diocese.

It’s not that I don’t have political opinions — I do.  We all have a right to our own opinions, political and otherwise, and a right to express them with constitutionally guaranteed protections.  But I don’t consider the various pulpits that I have as Bishop to be the appropriate place to make my political opinions known.  The faithful look to their Bishop for spiritual not political guidance.  My proper text is the Word of God as truth; my proper text is the teaching of the Catholic Church as truth; my proper text is the Christian life as truth that these texts attempt to encourage and support. [...continue reading]