Catholic nurses in India, "guardians of life" against modern "culture of death"
Mumbai (AsiaNews) - Since its creation, "the Catholic Church has worked in the service of the sick, the suffering and the dying. For this reason the Church is committed to constructive action that support the dignity and honor as values inherent to human life "and, for the same reason," the Catholic nurses and health personnel working in hospitals scattered across India should be considered 'guardians of life', against the 'culture of death'".
This was stated by the Declaration of the National Convention of Catholic nurses that took place in Mumbai from October 31 to November 2, under which Catholic medical workers are "the symbol of the apostolate healing of the Church" in the world.
The meeting of Catholic Nurses Guild (CNG, union nurses Catholic) is in its 20th edition. This year the theme was "The challenges of care and compassion in service to life".
325 nurses from 46 dioceses in India attended the gathering, representing the 11 thousand members of the CNG. Also taking part in the convention were the apostolic nuncio, five bishops, 16 priests and experts in the medical field.
AsiaNews recently spoke to Theresa Cheong, president for Asia of the International Committee and Organizations of Catholic nurses and doctors in the (CICIAMS), who attended the meeting.
In the final document operators remind Catholics that " Jesus’ mission was to make human life hope-filled and fulfilling. He came that we may have life and life in abundance (John 10:10). It is in the context of abundant life that we can view Jesus’ healings which form so great a part of his ministry. Jesus sends his disciples "to heal every disease and every infirmity" (Matthew 10:1). The Church's involvement in health and healing goes back to Christ. Since her inception, the Church has worked for the sick, the suffering and the dying. In doing so, the Church is engaged in affirmative action upholding the dignity and honour that is due to the human life".
During the conference they organized several seminars during which health professionals shared experiences. From these workshops the difficulties of caring for the sick emerged, a form of care which "is based on a set of basic principles: respect, compassion, concern and love, gentleness and empathy" and the concept that "we must take care of the whole person, not only of his or her illness”.
In the meetings it has also emerged how the "culture of death" prevails in today's society. Human life is threatened even before a person is born: Abortion is rampant across the globe. In vitro fertilization often involves the deliberate destruction of human embryos. Surrogate motherhood separates the birth of a child from the affectionate conjugal embrace of husband and wife which is the only context that protects new life from commodification and exploitation".
Therefore “as nurses we see ourselves as the guardians of life. Against the culture of death, we want to build a “civilization of love” founded on the universal values of love, peace, solidarity and justice”.
The declaration also reaffirms the commitment "to protect life, as a precious gift of God, and take care of it from birth to natural death; to strengthen [their] spirit of compassionate care; to care especially for the most vulnerable individuals, such as the mentally ill and disabled people, and avoid any discrimination based on sexual orientation; to support both patients and their families in the path of the end of life. "
Finally, they insist that they are "part of the Church is called to proclaim the Gospel of life" and entrust their work "in the hands of Mary, Mother of life".
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