scholarly journals Humility before New Scientific Evidence: We No Longer Have Moral Certainty that “Brain Death” Is True Death

2019 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 314-326
Author(s):  
Irene Alexander
Keyword(s):  
Brain Death ◽  
Organ Transplantation ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Current Medical ◽  
Vital Organ ◽  
Medical Evidence ◽  
Pope John Paul Ii ◽  
John Paul Ii ◽  
Moral Certainty

In light of the current medical evidence, physicians and ethicists no longer have the moral certainty that Pope John Paul II deemed vital for vital organ transplantation. The current medical evidence suggests that some brain-dead patients do seem to exhibit signs of global integration. This article will analyze the interpretations of this evidence, both from ethicists for and against the neurological criteria. Even the strongest arguments in favor of the neurological criteria in light of the new evidence fail to prove that the patient with total brain failure (TBF) has died. Furthermore, the recent Jahi McMath case demonstrates a new and alarming reality that there is no way in practice to distinguish global ischemic penumbra from TBF. In the absence of the moral certainty required by Pope John Paul II, it is clear that the Catholic Church should immediately call for a halt on vital organ transplantation. Summary: This article analyzes the current medical evidence about brain death and argues that we have lost the moral certainty that Pope John Paul II deemed necessary for vital organ transplantation.

scholarly journals Pope John Paul II and the Neurological Standard for the Determination of Death: A Critical Analysis of his Address to the Transplantation Society

2017 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doyen Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Brain Death ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
The Body ◽  
Human Organism ◽  
Determination Of Death ◽  
Pope John Paul Ii ◽  
John Paul Ii ◽  
The Brain ◽  
The Catholic Church

The introduction of the “brain death” criterion constitutes a significant paradigm shift in the determination of death. The perception of the public at large is that the Catholic Church has formally endorsed this neurological standard. However, a critical reading of the only magisterial document on this subject, Pope John Paul II's 2000 address, shows that the pope's acceptance of the neurological criterion is conditional in that it entails a twofold requirement. It requires that certain medical presuppositions of the neurological standard are fulfilled, and that its philosophical premise coheres with the Church's teaching on the body-soul union. This article demonstrates that the medical presuppositions are not fulfilled, and that the doctrine of the brain as the central somatic integrator of the body does not cohere either with the current holistic understanding of the human organism or with the Church's Thomistic doctrine of the soul as the form of the body. Summary The concept of “brain death” (the neurological basis for legally declaring a person dead) has caused much controversy since its inception. In this regard, it has been generally perceived that the Catholic Church has officially affirmed the “brain death” criterion. The address of Pope John Paul II in 2000 shows, however, that he only gave it a conditional acceptance, one which requires that several medical and philosophical presuppositions of the “brain death” standard be fulfilled. This article demonstrates, taking into consideration both the empirical evidence and the Church's Thomistic anthropology, that the presuppositions have not been fulfilled.

The Canon Law Society of Great Britain and Ireland and its Newsletter

1999 ◽  
Vol 5 (25) ◽  
pp. 284-285
Author(s):  
Robert Ombresop
Keyword(s):  
Great Britain ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Canon Law ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Annual Conference ◽  
Pope John Paul Ii ◽  
Code Of Canon Law ◽  
John Paul Ii

The organisation now known as the Canon Law Society of Great Britain and Ireland was founded in 1957, and its Newsletter was first published in 1969. The activities, publications and achievements of the Society within the Roman Catholic Church are manifold, and were acknowledged by Pope John Paul II when he granted an audience to participants of the 1992 annual conference held in Rome. This papal address is printed at the beginning of The Canon Law: Letter & Spirit (London 1995), the full commentary on the 1983 Code of Canon Law prepared by the Society.

scholarly journals Diplomacy of the Holy See in the process of de-isolation of Cuba

2019 ◽  
pp. 37-48
Author(s):  
Ivan Danyliuk
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Soft Power ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pope John Paul Ii ◽  
Holy See ◽  
Benedict Xvi ◽  
John Paul Ii ◽  
Cuban Government ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Catholic Church

In the article are considered the role of the Holy See and the Catholic Church in the de-isolation of Cuba in the international community and the promotion of the restoration of relations with the world community. The article analyzes the change in the international situation that has forced the Cuban government to dialogue with the Catholic Church, as well as the strengthening of the position of the Catholic Church on the Cuban island. The resumption of relations between Cuba and the Holy See was mutually beneficial and necessary for both sides. The Cuban government needed a new ally to get out of isolation. For the Vatican it was necessary to legalize the activities of the Catholic Church on the Cuban island. It is noted that three popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis played a part in the withdrawal from international isolation. The visit of Pope John Paul II to Cuba attracted attention to Cuba and became a step that began the process of legalizing the Catholic Church on the island and de-isolating Cuba. Benedict XVI’s visit came at a time when the leadership changed, when Cuba was governed by Raul Castro, who conducted a series of reforms. And of course, Pope Francis played a key role in the process of restoring relations with the United States and the de-isolation of Cuba in the international arena. Cuba has undoubtedly benefited from the active interventions of Vatican diplomacy and the Holy See, which has been distinguished how in Cuba’s international statuses and so in Cuba’s economic, tourism and information areas. However, the Cuban breakthrough was also an achievement for the Holy See’s peacekeeping diplomacy on international arena. For a long time, Vatican diplomacy has once again received vocal recognition on the international stage. The Cuban breakthrough testified that even today in the XXI-st century, the «soft power» of the Vatican diplomacy See and the Pope of the Catholic Church are able to engage the conflicting parties in dialogue, to promote mutual understanding, tolerance, peaceful coexistence, international cooperation and security.

scholarly journals “No Pope Here”: Britain, the Vatican, the IRA, and the Papal Visit to Ireland, September 1979

2021 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 603-620
Author(s):  
Martin Doherty
Keyword(s):  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Pope John Paul Ii ◽  
High Anxiety ◽  
The Troubles ◽  
John Paul Ii ◽  
Religious Wars ◽  
The Face ◽  
Irish Question ◽  
The Catholic Church

AbstractIt is often assumed, particularly by outsiders, that the conflict in Northern Ireland—known euphemistically as “the Troubles”—in which some 3,600 people lost their lives, was an atavistic throwback to Europe's religious wars of earlier centuries. In 1979, by which time some 2,000 people had already been killed in the Troubles, Pope John Paul II proposed to pay a visit to Ireland and perhaps to cross the border into Ulster's sectarian cockpit. The idea provoked outrage from some Ulster Protestants and high anxiety for the British, concerned that the Pope might inadvertently inflame the situation or embarrass the British by raising difficult issues. But there were hopes, too, that an unequivocal condemnation of violence by the head of the Catholic Church might help to bring the conflict to an end. This article, based on extensive research in diplomatic archives, reveals deep divisions within the Catholic Church on the Irish question and points to the power and limitations of the British diplomatic reach into the Vatican. It reveals also, however, the powerlessness of prayer and pleadings in the face of terrorist violence.

Pope John Paul II discourses and Poland's national symbols during the political transition (1978-1989)

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 163
Author(s):  
Marcos Alan S. V. Ferreira ◽  
Renan Honorato
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
International System ◽  
Political Transition ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Communist Regime ◽  
Pope John Paul Ii ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
John Paul Ii ◽  
National Symbols ◽  
The Cold War

This paper aims to show how the then new pope John Paul II represented an important factor in the downfall of the Communist regime in Poland using as tools his charismatic discourse, knowledge of Polish national culture and the powers granted to him by the Roman Catholic Church. In order to do this, it will resort to analysis of Wojtyła’s speeches during the time, connecting them to the aforementioned cultural aspects. The final years of the Cold War introduced a range of new actors that contributed to the American preponderance in the international system after the demise of the USSR. In such context, the Vatican influenced political change in some Communist countries in the end of 1970s. The oldest diplomacy in the world was able to be among the high players in the system once again, mainly in the home country of the then Pope John Paul II. The paper arguments that Karol Wojtyła played an instrumental role during the Polish political transition and that was possible because of what he represented to the Poles and the way he used the cultural aspects of the country on his favor.

The Challenge of Peace: Ronald Reagan, John Paul II, and the American Bishops

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jared McBrady
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Ronald Reagan ◽  
Pope John Paul Ii ◽  
Pastoral Letter ◽  
John Paul Ii ◽  
American Catholic ◽  
American Catholic Church ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The U.S

In 1983, the American Catholic bishops’ conference released The Challenge of Peace, a pastoral letter on nuclear weapons policy. This article examines the drafting process of that pastoral letter, revealing a complex relationship between President Ronald Reagan, Pope John Paul II, and the U.S. bishops. At the same time Reagan was strengthening the relationship between Washington and the Vatican, the American bishops were becoming increasingly critical of the president and his policies in a way not previously seen from the Catholic hierarchy—a tension that colored the drafting of The Challenge of Peace. The pastoral represents a watershed moment in the transformation of the American Catholic Church into a major voice in the American public sphere.

scholarly journals The brain death definition and human organs transplantation in the light of the Catholic Church teaching

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-59
Author(s):  
Joanna Dudzińska ◽  
Beata Dobrowolska
Keyword(s):  
Brain Death ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Ethical Judgment ◽  
Human Organ ◽  
Holy See ◽  
The Gift ◽  
Moral Certainty ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Brain ◽  
The Catholic Church

AbstractAim. The aim of this paper is to present the teaching of the Catholic Church regarding the brain death and the human organ transplantation.Material and methodology. The analysis of the official documents of the Holy See as well as the teaching and speeches of popes was made.Results and Conclusions. The Catholic Church supports transplants from deceased persons and considers donating their organs after death for transplantation as the gift of the greatest love. However, it is not unconditional acceptance. The most important conditions are: the patient’s informed consent for organ donation and a precise statement of the death of the donor. The currently used definition of brain death has been declared by the Church not only as sufficient but also as definitive criterion of the death of a man. In Christian ethics, this criterion allows an ethical judgment, which is called as moral certainty and provides the basis for an ethically proper action. It is also stressed that the donation of organs for transplantation must be altruistic. It is unacceptable to expect and to receive any payment for such an act.

Visit of Pope John Paul II to the ICRC

1982 ◽  
Vol 22 (228) ◽  
pp. 157-158
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
International Committee ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Red Cross ◽  
Pope John Paul Ii ◽  
John Paul Ii

Pope John Paul II visited the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva on 15 June 1982, the first visit by a sovereign pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church to the ICRC. He was accompanied by Cardinals A. Casaroli and B. Gantin and numerous other church dignitaries.

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