scholarly journals Brain-based Criteria of Human Death. Study of the Issue

2020 ◽  
pp. 121-131
Author(s):  
Jacek Norkowski
Keyword(s):  
Brain Death ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Significant Degree ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Moral Problem ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Human Death ◽  
The Catholic Church

In this article I first tried to demonstrate that the theory of so-called braindeath is unsustainable from a scientific point of view. +e data that the medicalprofession provides on this subject clearly contradicts such a theory. It is impossibleto prove, on the basis of the knowledge available to this science thatpeople who are in a state of cerebral death are really dead. +e only thing thatthe doctor can say, without exceeding the limits of the discipline he represents,is that these people have a significant degree of brain damage. +is does notmean, however, that the brain is so damaged that is has ceased to perform all its functions. On the contrary, these patients usually show many symptomsof brain activity. Recognition of these sick people as dead, therefore, contradictsthe principles of the medical art.+e acceptance of the theory of so-called brain death has also given riseto many problems from the legal point of view. Recognition as a living or deceasedperson depends on the criteria for brain death, which vary from countryto country. +e law has therefore become arbitrary in such an important areaas human life and death.+e adoption of the theory of brain death on the basis of such un-robustscientific criteria has undoubtedly become possible only through the acceptanceof certain philosophical assumptions that reduce the human to his or herconsciousness. A permanent loss of consciousness was de facto considered to beevidence of human death. +is position contradicts the achievements of Christianthought in the field of philosophical anthropology, which emphasises theunity of the individual and the importance of his or her bodily aspect. Whatis even more important, however, is the fact that modern man tends to thinkin terms of moral utilitarianism. Many people believe that it is possible to sacrificethe life of a person who is seriously ill and who has no hope of improvement(in this case, a person with cerebral death syndrome) for the benefit of otherpatients. +is attitude explains the passivity of many circles and the failureto discuss such an important issue as the rightness or wrongness of the theoryof so-called brain death. It is not without significance that there is a specifictransplant lobby in individual countries, which puts moral pressure on entiresocieties to accept the removal of organs for transplantation from people whoare in a state of so-called brain death, and suppresses the discussion of moralproblems associated with it.It is necessary for the Catholic Church to develop a clear position on thismatter. +is has not yet happened. +ere is even a surprising lack of consensusamong various the authorities. However, some of the hierarchy of the CatholicChurch have already spoken on this matter. +ese include Cardinal Meissner,Archbishop of Cologne, who clearly rejected the theory of brain death as incompatiblewith the principles of the Church’s teaching8'. Pope John Paul IIalso wrote in the encyclical Evangelium Vitae: “Nor can we remain silent aboutthe existence of other, better camouflaged but no less dangerous forms of euthanasia.We would be dealing with them, for example, if, in order to obtain moreorgans for transplantation, we proceeded to collect these organs from donorsbefore they were declared dead according to objective and adequate criteria.”Although these words do not mention the concept of brain death, theyrefer to it indirectly. +is paper was written in order to draw attention to justsuch a moral problem hidden in the concept of so-called brain death.In conclusion, I would like to give the floor to one of the participantsin the discussion on brain death, Dr Tomoko Abe. She wrote: “It is true thatthe latest developments in science and technology have brought many benefits.At the same time, however, they have brought unprecedented confusion in philosophyand culture to our societies. Due to the destructive tendencies of thepresent day, it is becoming increasingly important to establish social standardsto protect the most vulnerable members of society, such as young children andunconscious patients who cannot defend themselves. We therefore concludethat the current diagnostic criteria for brain death should be abolished andthat a worldwide ban on transplants from people with cerebral death syndromeshould be introduced.”88Dr. Abe is not alone in a desire to overthrow the theory of so-called braindeath and to consider its criteria as non-scientific. +e same is demanded bymany other authors. +e voice of the Catholic Church in this matter is undoubtedlyone of the most important. As the greatest authority in the world in mattersof morality and human rights, it cannot fail to explain the issue of so-calledbrain death in its teaching.

Związek publicznej obecności Kościoła w Polsce z preferencjami wyborczymi elektoratu w 2011 roku

1970 ◽  
Vol 23 (301) ◽  
pp. 72-92
Author(s):  
Karolina Dłuska
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Public Television ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Military ◽  
Religious Nature ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Catholic Church

The author of the article tries to indicate the relationship between the perceived presence of the Catholic Church in public life and the election preferences of Poles. The subject of the research here is the parliamentary elections in Poland in 2011 in the context of the perception by the electorate of the individual parties of the public presence of the Catholic Church in the selected aspects. Among them, the author points to: the issue of crosses and other religious symbols in public space, including the issue of a cross in the Sejm meeting room. She also recalls such matters as: religion lessons in schools, the religious nature of the military oath, priests appearing on public television, the Church taking a stand on laws passed by the Sejm and priests telling people how to vote in elections. The presented analysis is based on the results of the Polish General Election Study 2011.

Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 658-678 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. White ◽  
Karen J. Terry
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Excessive Force ◽  
Police Organization ◽  
Sex Abuse ◽  
Police Deviance ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Catholic Church

The Catholic Church response to its sexual abuse crisis and how the problem should be addressed parallels the “rotten apple” assertions of police deviance. The rotten apple theory, however, does not fully explain police deviance, as there are often also structural explanations. This article employs Kappeler, Sluder, and Alpert's (1998) police deviance framework to characterize and understand the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal, drawing specific comparisons to the intentional use of excessive force by police. Though the analogy has limitations, there are similarities at both the individual and organizational levels, particularly because the Church has implemented accountability mechanisms similar to the police. The article concludes with a discussion of lessons the Church can learn from the police organization as they seek to prevent, control, and effectively respond to sexual abuse of children by their clergy.

scholarly journals Dignity of human life in the concept of the Catholic Church

2015 ◽  
pp. 240-244
Author(s):  
Neonila Petryshyn
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Current Events ◽  
The Catholic Church

This article analyzes the problem of the dignity of human life in the official documents of the Catholic Church, in the speeches of the Patriarchs of the Catholic Church, their understanding and transfering them to the realities of current events in Ukraine.

scholarly journals On natural law as a possible normative reference point in legislative processes

2020 ◽  
pp. 13-24
Author(s):  
Bogdan Szlachta
Keyword(s):  
Classical Theory ◽  
Natural Law ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Reference Point ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Legislative Processes ◽  
Modern Era ◽  
The Catholic Church

In the modern era, the only indicator of the validity of law is that it is passed by the authorities in accordance with procedures. Has the classical theory of natural law ceased to matter? The author, referring to contemporary statements of popes and documents of the Catholic Church, analyses what significance natural law has today from a normative point of view and why it is particularly important in the present-day world, as well as in a multicultural world.

Images of the Priesthood: An Analysis of Catholic Sermons from the Late Seventeenth Century

2000 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renate Dürr
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Pastoral Care ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Martin Luther ◽  
The State ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Council Of Trent ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Catholic Church

“All, therefore, who consider themselves Christians may be absolutely certain that we are all equally priests.”1 With this declaration Martin Luther categorically repudiated the Catholic understanding of priesthood as a holy estate with indelible marks bestowed at consecration. According to the reformers all Christians, in principle, have the same authority in word and sacrament, but only those authorized by the respective community of believers may wield it. This assessment not only reflected certain irregularities within the clergy but also signified a completely new definition of the priesthood. It cannot be understood outside the context of existing contemporary criticism—not only from reformatory circles—of the state of numerous parishes who suffered under poorly educated, morally unacceptable (from a contemporary point of view) or indeed absent clergymen. The Catholic Church's answer to this challenge, therefore, had two aims: plans for far-reaching reforms were intended to renew the image of priests and, primarily, to provide effective pastoral care. Polemical theological debates against Protestants and discussions within the Catholic Church were intended not only to strengthen the certainty of the fundamental essence of priestly identity but also to facilitate a differentiation of Catholic from Protestant understanding. The decisions of the Council of Trent also touched both areas. At the 23rd session both the theological basis of the sacrament of consecration and the plans to reform the rules concerning the bishops' obligatory residence in their parishes were debated.2

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.

Aproximación ética al diagnóstico de muerte bajo criterios neurológicos y cardiocirculatorios. Reflexiones sobre el posicionamiento de la Iglesia Católica sobre la donación de órganos para trasplante / Ethical approach to the diagnosis of death under neurological and cardiocirculatory criteria. Reflections on the position of the Catholic Church on the donation of organs for transplantation

2017 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-159
Author(s):  
Jose María Domínguez-Roldán ◽  
Justo Aznar
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Circulatory Arrest ◽  
Potential Effect ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Clinical Aspects ◽  
Organ Donors ◽  
Ethical Aspects ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Diagnosis Of Death ◽  
The Catholic Church

El diagnóstico de muerte del ser humano tiene dimensiones antropológicas, médicas, religiosas, legales, y culturales. No obstante corresponde a los médicos establecer los criterios de muerte del individuo y precisar el momento en que la muerte se ha producido. La donación de órganos para trasplante provenientes de personas fallecidas debe realizarse lo antes posible a fin de preservar la viabilidad de los órganos. Los criterios para establecer la muerte basándose en aspectos neurológicos nacieron simultáneamente al desarrollo de la trasplantología. La creciente demanda de órganos para trasplante ha dado paso a que la muerte se establezca por criterios cardiocirculatorios. En relación con ello, se revisan aspectos clínicos sobre el tiempo necesario que debe transcurrir desde el comienzo de la parada circulatoria hasta el establecimiento definitivo de la muerte (que actualmente es muy variable en los distintos países), así como los aspectos éticos que pudieran conllevar el hecho de que dichos pacientes van a ser donantes de órganos y la potencial influencia que podría tener en el manejo de los pacientes antes de su fallecimiento. También se lleva a cabo una valoración de la doctrina de la Iglesia Católica, no sólo sobre la donación de órganos para trasplante, sino también sobre los aspectos que la dignidad en el proceso de la muerte de la persona debe conllevar. ---------- The diagnosis of death in humans has anthropological, medical, religious, legal and cultural dimensions. Nevertheless, it falls to clinicians to establish the criteria for death of the individual, and to determine the time at which death occurred. Donation of organs for transplantation from deceased persons should be done as soon as possible, in order to preserve organ viability. The criteria for establishing death based on neurological aspects originated in parallel with the development of transplantology. The growing demand for organs for transplantation has given way to the establishment of death based on cardiocirculatory criteria. In relation thereto, we review the clinical aspects of the time that must elapse from the beginning of circulatory arrest until the definitive establishment of death (which presently varies greatly among different countries). We also examine the ethical aspects that might be entailed in the fact that said patients will be organ donors, and the potential effect that this might have on management of patients before their death. We make an assessment of the doctrine of the Catholic Church, not only with respect to organ donation for transplantation, but to aspects that dignity in the process of dying must encompass.

scholarly journals Is Lack of Morality an Explanation for the Economic and Financial Crisis? A Catholic Point of View

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 407-418
Author(s):  
Klára Katona
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Philosophical Tradition ◽  
Religious Doctrine ◽  
Integral Element ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Economic Thinking

AbstractBefore 2008, several studies provided empirical evidence of a positive correlation between the functions of financial intermediation and economic growth. In 2008, the financial crisis shook trust in this correlation. Several studies found that comprehensive and fundamental changes were needed in the entire financial market. Attention focused on the role of morality as an essential and integral element of the economy, arguing that without a moral attitude at the individual and institutional levels, the whole system necessarily runs into crisis. Among the moral interpretations of the economy, which are concurrently based on philosophical tradition and religious doctrine, the Catholic Church has presented some of the most consistent and unified teachings related to such questions over time, but the effect on economic thinking is less than what relevance and other merits justify. Catholic social teaching suggests morality and the economy are inseparable and highlights the moral interpretation of economic discrepancies. By analyzing theoretical and empirical evidence, this paper assesses the economic validity and legitimacy of Catholic thought about the immanent role of ethics in the economy and the financial crisis.

The Catholic Church at Puebla

Worldview ◽  
1979 ◽  
Vol 22 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 13-15
Author(s):  
Renato Poblete
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Human Life ◽  
General Assembly ◽  
Profound Impact ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Catholic Church

The Third General Assembly of the Latin American Episcopate took place last February in the Mexican city of Puebla. Without doubt it will make a profound impact upon the evangelizing action of the Church in Latin America. The documents produced at Puebla, like those produced in Medellin ten years earlier, will give rise to reflections that will find their way into the diverse pastoral plans of each nation.Neither Medellin nor Puebla can be considered isolated phenomenon. On the contrary, each should be seen as fruits of a maturing process in which Christian people, together with their pastors, express both the depths of their anguish and their high hopes and visions. That vision encompasses raising people from subhuman situations to a fuller experience of human life. Such experience should be expected to bring people together in brotherly love and lead naturally to a greater openness to God.

The Making of Colonial Christianity in Hispanic America

2020 ◽  
pp. 7-22
Author(s):  
John F. Schwaller
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Institutional Structure ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Colonial Latin America ◽  
Religious Orders ◽  
Administrative Control ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Catholic Church

The Catholic Church was one of the most important institutions of colonial Latin America; yet, it is poorly understood by many scholars. This chapter outlines the important features of the Catholic Church both from the point of view of institutional structure and the impact of these on the society at large. While generally considered a monolithic institution, the Church consisted of many disparate and often competing units. The clergy itself was divided between those who were members of religious orders and communities and those who were directly under the administrative control of bishops and archbishops. The Church also touched the life of nearly every resident of the colonies, from baptism until death. The Church also had an important impact on the finances of the colonies. In short, this study looks at the broad scope of the actions and activities of the Catholic Church in colonial Latin America.

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