Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, has reaffirmed the opposition of the Italian bishops to the legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia in the country. Italian news outlet Avvenire reported that the Cardinal was speaking during the opening session of the Permanent Council of the Italian Episcopal Conference, when he stated that the answer to suffering was not offering death. He stressed that social support, continuous home-based health and social care, was necessary so that the sick and their families could feel supported and accompanied.
“Human dignity is not measured by efficiency or usefulness,” stated Cardinal Zuppi. He warned that end-of-life decisions could not be treated as a purely private matter as euthanasia undermined “the cohesion and solidarity” of society. The president of the Episcopal Conference also stressed the central role of palliative care, calling it “a true antidote to the logic that considers assisted suicide or euthanasia as practical options.”
Italy is currently having a heated debate on the proposed Euthanasia bill. According to ACI Prensa, the bill promoted by senators Pierantonio Zanettin and Ignazio Zullo has been temporarily blocked by the joint committees of Justice and Social Affairs of the Senate. The legislative text is scheduled to be presented at the Senate’s plenary session on February 17.