Pope appeals for Alfie Evans
and Vincent Lambert
 |
| Alfie Evans's father is received by Pope Francis at the Casa Santa Marta. (Vatican Media) |
Pope Francis met with the father of seriously ill British
toddler Alfie Evans in the Vatican before making an appeal in which he
reiterated his call to safeguard the lives of Alfie and of Vincent Lambert.
By Linda Bordoni
Pope Francis renewed his appeal for the respect
of the lives of Vincent Lambert and Alfie Evans,
reiterating that “the only author of life, from its beginning to its natural
end, is God.”
Speaking during the General Audience on
Wednesday, the Pope said he wanted to highlight their plights and remind us
that “it is our duty to do all that is possible to safeguard life”.
“Let us gather in silence and pray so that the lives of all
persons, especially of these two brothers of ours, are respected” he said.
Pope Francis had asked for prayers for Vincent Lambert, a
severely brain-damaged man in France, and for Alfie Evans, a British infant
with an undiagnosed degenerative disease, during his Regina Coeli address on
Sunday. Both patients are on life support and their families are fighting legal
battles to ensure they continue to receive necessary basic medical care.
During that appeal Francis asked that everyone pray for
"people, such as Vincent Lambert in France, little Alfie Evans in England,
and others in different countries, who have been living, sometimes for a long
time, in a condition of serious infirmity, (and are) medically assisted for
their basic needs."
These "delicate situations," he said, are
"very painful and complex. Let us pray that every sick person may always
be respected in their dignity and cared for in an appropriate way for their
condition, with the unanimous contribution of family members, doctors and other
health-care workers, and with great respect for life."
Before the Audience on Wednesday morning Pope Francis met
with Alfie Evans’ father in the Vatican.
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