(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.