Former EU Council President, Herman Von Rumpuy, has tweeted out a challenge to Pope Francis’ ruling that Catholic hospitals in Belgium cease involvement in euthanasia. Von Rumpuy sits on the board of the Brothers of Charity whose hospitals decided to offer euthanasia to its patients this year. The move was opposed by the worldwide head of the Brothers of Charity, Br. Rene Stockman, who has been supported by the Bishops of Belgium and the Vatican. The Vatican, with the personal approval of the Pope, issued an ultimatum to the Brothers in Belgium to reverse their Euthanasia policy by the end of August or face sanctions under canon law. However, Von Rumpuy sent out a tweet Sunday that reads, “The time of ‘Roma locuta causa finita’ is long past.” The Latin phrase, which means “Rome has spoken, the cause is finished”, is used to indicate that the Pope has the final say on matters of faith and morals, and once he has issued a decision, then the matter is settled. By his tweet, Von Rumpuy seems to imply that the Pope’s directive will not be accepted as the final word on whether the Brothers’ of charity should cease euthanising patients in their hospitals.
