Leading Israeli rabbis and Catholic Church leaders have signed a joint declaration on the ethics of treating the terminally ill, rejecting assisted suicide and euthanasia [1], while also advocating for improved palliative care.
“For both Jews and Christians, taking care of the terminally ill with belief, respect, and love means truly to light the lamp of faith and hope at a time shrouded in darkness and a sense of solitude and abandonment for both patient and dear ones,” they said in a joint declaration at the conclusion of a recent gathering in Jerusalem.
The delegations from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Holy See’s Commission for Religious Relations with Jews met in Jerusalem May 2–4 for their 17th bilateral meeting.