Just an observation...
Mar. 31st, 2005 10:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jon_chaissonSo I'm sitting here with the UPN news playing in the background. They're playing the news about the Pope's poor health. It just so happens that I'd heard about his downturn at the same time that I'd heard about Terry Schiavo's death, and it made me wonder.
On the one hand, I could understand the husband's wish to unplug the feeding tube for Terry, even if the debate behind it was sketchy. What bothered me was the fact that the federal government got on the bandwagon--in an amazingly short time, mind you--to raise a big stink about it. I'm actually glad that the Supreme Court refused to get involved. And honestly, I'm sad that she suffered for so long, tube or no, but I'm glad that either way she is no longer suffering.
Now, on the other hand, we have the Pope, whose health has been failing for some time now. Let's be honest here for a moment--I've heard many people say how surprised they were that he was still alive and moving around. But for a moment let's put aside the fact that he's the most powerful, influential and revered person in Christianity today. Let's see him as a human, a frail old man whose health has been declining over the past few years. He has a kind spirit, and he is amazingly intelligent, but unfortunately his body is failing him. And yet...
And yet, simply because he's Pope, we have an untold number of people around the world who are helping, praying, doing what they can to keep him alive. Now, I'm not complaining that we as a human race are working with a strange sense of priorities here. I can understand more people follow the Pope simply because he's a spiritual leader of a major religion.
Maybe it's just me, but I'm just worried that, like the Schiavo case, the Pope is going to end up on life support so he can stay alive as long as his caretakers can keep him alive. I'm just worried that they're going to keep him as Pope, regardless as to his ability to keep that role as his health eventually declines more. I'm just hoping that either the Pope himself or someone equally as able will decide to have him step down before the idea of Pope becames a caricature, like a certain political leader we all know.
But hey, like I said, just an observation...
On the one hand, I could understand the husband's wish to unplug the feeding tube for Terry, even if the debate behind it was sketchy. What bothered me was the fact that the federal government got on the bandwagon--in an amazingly short time, mind you--to raise a big stink about it. I'm actually glad that the Supreme Court refused to get involved. And honestly, I'm sad that she suffered for so long, tube or no, but I'm glad that either way she is no longer suffering.
Now, on the other hand, we have the Pope, whose health has been failing for some time now. Let's be honest here for a moment--I've heard many people say how surprised they were that he was still alive and moving around. But for a moment let's put aside the fact that he's the most powerful, influential and revered person in Christianity today. Let's see him as a human, a frail old man whose health has been declining over the past few years. He has a kind spirit, and he is amazingly intelligent, but unfortunately his body is failing him. And yet...
And yet, simply because he's Pope, we have an untold number of people around the world who are helping, praying, doing what they can to keep him alive. Now, I'm not complaining that we as a human race are working with a strange sense of priorities here. I can understand more people follow the Pope simply because he's a spiritual leader of a major religion.
Maybe it's just me, but I'm just worried that, like the Schiavo case, the Pope is going to end up on life support so he can stay alive as long as his caretakers can keep him alive. I'm just worried that they're going to keep him as Pope, regardless as to his ability to keep that role as his health eventually declines more. I'm just hoping that either the Pope himself or someone equally as able will decide to have him step down before the idea of Pope becames a caricature, like a certain political leader we all know.
But hey, like I said, just an observation...
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no subject
Date: 2005-04-01 01:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-04-01 02:43 pm (UTC)As for he Pope, the little bits of info that have been released indicate that he is approaching total organ failure, in which case there is no chance of sustaining him much longer. I think people are partly freaking because he has been pope for so long--longer than my lifespan, literally.
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2005-04-01 07:14 pm (UTC)The most important difference, as I see it: We'll never be able to be 100% sure what Terri Schiavo's wishes were -- it'll always be he said/they said. But the Pope, especially with his recent writing and commentary on suffering, has made his position abundantly clear. He'll be here as long as they can keep him here, because that's what he believes is right.
Whether he will remain Pope throughout that process, as you point out, is another issue. But there are precedents and administrative mechanisms in place for him to designate a substitute if/when he feels he is no longer able to serve as required. He's a very smart guy, and I'd bet money that he's already made the appropriate arrangements, and given instructions stipulating under what circumstances they should be carried out.