18th session of the UN Human Rights Council

(September 17, 2011) Archbishop Silvano Maria Tomasi, Permanent Observer of the Holy See with the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, speaking Friday of “the right to health of older persons" at the 18th Session of the U.N. Human Rights Council, said that the promotion and protection of human rights of older persons is not only in the interest of senior persons, but should also be of concern to everyone, because every person ages. With regard to elderly persons who require special care, the Catholic Church, through its sponsorship of 15,448 homes for the aged, chronically ill and handicapped persons in all parts of the world, sees the growing number of ageing persons as a “blessing” rather than as a burden on society. In conclusion, the Archbishop quoted the Holy See’s exhortation to scientists and doctors to undertake research to prevent and treat illnesses linked to old age without ever ceding to the temptation to have recourse to practices that shorten the life of the aged and sick, practices that would turn out to be, in fact, forms of euthanasia.