Sask. Catholic priests to receive new guidelines on funerals for assisted deaths

Catholic priests in Saskatchewan will soon have new guidelines on how to respond pastorally to those considering assisted death and how to deal with funeral requests for people who die by assisted death.

Archbishop Don Bolen says the Catholic Archdiocese of Regina will encourage priests and chaplains to 'accompany' parishioners who die by doctor-assisted suicide, but it will be up to the individual church leader, informed by guidelines and a consultative process, to decide if they should refuse a funeral. 

Archbishop Bolen spoke to CBC Radio's The Afternoon Edition on Monday, after Catholic Bishops in Alberta and the Northwest Territories issued guidelines saying priests should refuse funerals for some people who die by assisted suicide.

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Bolen, the Archbishop of Regina, said Saskatchewan bishops planned to release their own set of guidelines in early 2017.

He said the guidelines were shaped by two convictions: that Catholic facilities would not allow physician-assisted suicide in their facilities nor would they abandon people who might choose that option. He stressed that the church was opposed to assisted suicide because of the inherent dignity of the human person, and the understanding both our living and our dying draw us into relationship with God.  

He said people now had a legal right to physician-assisted suicide, and that the church would not "abandon" those individuals.

'We will be with them': Bolen

Bolen added that Saskatchewan priests would be encouraged to "accompany" people who die by assisted suicide, or their families.

"Dying can be excruciating," Bolen said.

"We hope that for those Catholics who want to be accompanied by a chaplain, by a pastoral support, that we will be there and we will be with them."

He said the forthcoming Bishops' directives were guidelines to help determine how to respond in difficult situations, and added that priests would be encouraged to consult with a team of pastoral leaders who will help them find a way forward.,  But much will be left up to the individual priests and chaplains who will know the specifics of a pastoral situation, and could still decide to refuse a funeral in a particular instance.

He said he personally would be uncomfortable with a funeral that appeared to be a public opportunity to take a stand against what the church believes in.

"I hope that those situations are rare," said Bolen.

"But if a person is choosing to end their life and has really left the convictions that made them Catholic behind, and where, you know, celebrating a funeral wouldn't be an honest expression of the church's faith, then you're in a bind."

He said resources would be available for priests and chaplains who were faced with difficult decisions regarding assisted suicide.