Can third world nations afford the Pope's demands to use feeding tubes?

[sarcophagus]

Why didn’t the Pope(church) speak out against John Kerry, Ted Kennedy et al. at election time or even now? Is abortion, divorce and remarriage, embrionic stem cell research not serious matters?

These are all indeed serious matters. However, right now, the world’s media and the US judicial system, and almost anyone who can change their channel to CNN or FOX etc., are think about this case. It was relevant for the pope to speak about this now rather than after the fact. He’s also been a strong advocate against euthinasia and assisted suicide throught his papacy.

 

[Steven_Merten]

sarcophagus:

24% of America is Catholic. 12% fall under the poverty line, 2.3% inflation rate, a 6% unemployment rate, and 62.4% public debt.

By your standards, Catholics are responisble for aiding poor countries, but…with the examples I have given you, the most catholics live in poorer countries. How do you suggest they go about doing so. How do you suggest that the 20% of unemployed people tithe in Poland, or the 40% of mexicans that fall below the poverty line, or 22% in brazil? How do you suggest that the catholics in the wealthier country, such as the 24% in the US, cover for these people’s expenses?

I suggest you do the research. I also suggest that you listen to what the others have told you lest you be labelled a troll.

Hello sarcophagus,

Do we agree that it is Catholics not Americans who go to heaven because they love Jesus and neighbor by feeding the least of Christ’s brothers?

I hear the excuse for the Catholic Church (one billion Catholics) not feeding the poor is because many Catholics are poor. Well let us start with the large number of Catholic who are not poor. Let us start with American and European Catholics, Protestants and Jews. The way I figure, if Catholics from wealthy nations alone payed a tithe, this would generate hundreds of billions of dollars a year. Presently rich Catholics are no where near doing this. Spending hundreds of billions of charity dollars is hard to hide in the world.

We have sixty million Catholics in the US alone. Say the average income of every Catholic man woman and child is $20,000/year. This is a low figure seeing that children and some spouces do not have income. 10% of $20,000 is $2,000. $2,000 x 60,000,000 equals $120,000,000,000. If we take the Protesatants and Jews into consideration it is probubly twice this amount. It is pretty hard to hide spending hundreds of billions of dollars in the world. Where is it? Catholic relief services? Before the tsunami I think CRS stated they collected 60 or 100 thousand a month. This is certianly not going to get us to hundreds of billions. United Way? St. Vincent De Paul? Where is it?

Church leaders are out there condemning America for not supporting the poor and disabled while they themselves do not get their group stimulated to do this work which Jesus gave Christians, not Americans, to do. It is hipocrasy. Catholics, not Americans, go to heaven through Jesus because they love and care for the least of Christ’s brothers.

If the hundreds of millions of rich Catholics refuse to pay a tithe to God to feed the poor, how does the Pope relate this to evil on the part of world leaders?

NAB MAT 25:31 When the Son of Man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels of heaven, he will sit upon his royal throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. Then he will separate them into two groups, as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. The sheep he will place on his righthand, the goats on on his left. The king will say to those on his right: 'Come. You have my Fathers blessing! In herit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me. I was ill and you comforted me, in prison and you came to visit me.’ then the usut will ask him: 'Lord, when did we see you hugry and feed you or see you thirsty and give you drink? When did we welcome you away from home or clothe you in your nakedness?" When did we visit you when you were ill or in prison?" The king will answer them: ‘I assure you, as often as you did it for on of my least brothers, you did it for me.’

Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Peace in Christ,

Steven Merten
www.ILOVEYOUGOD.com

 

[1ke]

Steven Merten:

Nursing home care costs about $6000.00 per month in America. Now that the Pope has instructed third world nations that not using feeding tubes is murder, how can they sustain the cost of obedience to the Pope? Will the Pope bind the Catholic Church with mortal sin for not finantially paying for all feeding tube care for those in vegatative states in third world nations.

ADDRESS OF JOHN PAUL II
TO THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS
ON "LIFE-SUSTAINING TREATMENTS AND VEGETATIVE STATE:
***SCIENTIFIC ADVANCES AND ETHICAL DILEMMAS" ***

Peace in Christ,
Steven Merten
www.ILOVEYOUGOD.com

You have very odd notions about the Church, Authority, the virtue of Charity, and sin.

Your profile says you are Catholic. I find your posts to reflect something other than a Catholic position.

Also, you are posting this as if the Pope’s statement is a new teaching. The Church has taught nutrition and hydration are ordinary, not extraordinary, care for a very long time. Therefore, the requirement to provide these things is in no way new-- the Pope is merely reiterating the Church teaching in light of what Terri Schiavo is being subjected to.

 

[Scott_Waddell]

Who says Catholics cannot be anti-Catholic? Thank heavens for the ignore feature.

Scott

 

[demolitionman65]

So you believe that people should have no right to a living will to decide whether they want **artificial **means keeping them alive in a vegatative state?

There is a critical difference between artifical means (such as respirators) and fundamental means (provision of food and water.). Recall the Gospel, if you will: “For I was hungry, you gave me food. I was thirsty, you gave me drink.”

I plan on obtaining a living will, that will state no extraordinary means will be used to keep me alive. But food and water will always be provided, if at all possible. Terri Schiavo is not dying naturally. She is being killed.

The Pope seems to making it a mortal sin to sign such a document wishing for no feeding tubes. The Pope binding, living wills indicating that you not recieve a feeding tube, as mortal sin, condemns your soul to eternal death for signing it. Is this fair?

Well, yep. Guess it is a mortal sin. There you have it. The Pope is not concerned about fairness. He is concerned as Christ was, with truth and justice.

 

[Steven_Merten]

demolitionman65:

There is a critical difference between artifical means (such as respirators) and fundamental means (provision of food and water.). Recall the Gospel, if you will: “For I was hungry, you gave me food. I was thirsty, you gave me drink.”

I plan on obtaining a living will, that will state no extraordinary means will be used to keep me alive. But food and water will always be provided, if at all possible. Terri Schiavo is not dying naturally. She is being killed.

Well, yep. Guess it is a mortal sin. There you have it. The Pope is not concerned about fairness. He is concerned as Christ was, with truth and justice.

Hello Demolitionman,

So you say, “The Pope is not concerned about fairness.” Catholics in general have refused to pay a tithe to keep their neighbors from dying out of love for God. The Pope is now telling third world nations that unless they use feeding tubes to keep all members in vegitative states alive, they are murderers. Should developing nations end all school, road and infastructure to start spending $5000.00 per month on nursing care for those in vegitative states to obey the pope now that they know to do otherwise would be murder?

If the Pope were concerned about fairness would he not say that it was those Catholics who fail to give abundant donations who were the murders? And what about their leader who does not point this out to them?

Many Americans write living wills refusing feeding tubes in the event of a vegitative state. Many Americans have died rather than live on for decades in a vegitative state because of these living wills. Can the Pope boldly tell all the Catholic families who had feeding tubes removed due to the writen living wills of thier loved ones that all their loved ones burn in hell due to dying in the state of mortal sin of suicide.

Peace in Christ,
Steven Merten
www.ILOVEYOUGOD.com

 

[Steven_Merten]

1ke:

You have very odd notions about the Church, Authority, the virtue of Charity, and sin.

Your profile says you are Catholic. I find your posts to reflect something other than a Catholic position.

Also, you are posting this as if the Pope’s statement is a new teaching. The Church has taught nutrition and hydration are ordinary, not extraordinary, care for a very long time. Therefore, the requirement to provide these things is in no way new-- the Pope is merely reiterating the Church teaching in light of what Terri Schiavo is being subjected to.

Hello 1ke,

All I have heard throught the years is that it is within Church teaching to sign living wills to refuse artificial tube feeding, ressusitation, ventilators and medical treatment. I have now heard some say that the Pope was only speaking his opinion of tube feeding being not artificial. They say that he was not binding removal of tube feeding as mortal sin as Church dogma but only his opinion.

Can you please give refferences as to your claim that the Church has always taught that removal of artificial tube feeding is murder. Which Church writings or dogmas are you refering too?

Peace in Christ,
Steven Merten
www.ILOVEYOUOGOD.com

 

[Steven_Merten]

Scott Waddell:

Who says Catholics cannot be anti-Catholic? Thank heavens for the ignore feature.

Scott

Hello Scott,

For the past few decades anyone, who even suggested that priests were molesting children, were thought of as anti-Catholic by the Church.

Peace in Christ,
Steven Merten
www.ILOVEYOUGOD.com

 

[Ghosty]

The Pope is now telling third world nations that unless they use feeding tubes to keep all members in vegitative states alive, they are murderers.

You obviously aren’t listening to anyone but yourself, because this notion has been shot down repeatedly. You’re either not capable of reading, or you are being obstinate to the point of absurdity, even self-satire. I’m honestly not sure which view of you would be more charitable to take. You’ve just lost one more reader, Steve.