Medical ethicist: Protection of privacy also applies to the Pope

According to a Swiss medical ethicist, the protection of privacy also applies to the Pope without restriction. "It's right that we don't see pictures of him being washed or ventilated. These are things that should remain private, even for a pope," said Ralf Jox, Professor of Medical Ethics at the University of Lausanne, to the Swiss newspaper "Pfarrblatt" from Bern (Monday). It is understandable and legitimate to be informed about the situation in order to understand why certain appointments are not being made. "On the other hand, a pope also has a right to privacy and the protection of his well-being," said the medical ethicist.

Popes have a role model function, but this is practised in different ways. Jox cites John Paul II (1978-2005), who deliberately publicised his Parkinson's disease, and his successor Benedict XVI (2005-2013), who avoided publicity on health issues. It is therefore at the discretion of a pope and those around him "how much he wants to reveal and how he wants to deal with illness and suffering", it continues.

Suffering is not an end in itself

Jox considers the recent statement by German Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller on a possible resignation of the Pope that one does not descend from the cross to be problematic. "It would mean putting the sick Pope on the same level as Jesus, who was executed in a bestial manner." Although it is part of Christian ethics to accept suffering to a certain extent and not to ignore or even taboo it, suffering is not an end in itself. "The goal in Christianity is also to overcome suffering. Redemption was achieved through Christ's passion. It does not need to be repeated by the Pope," said Jox.

When asked whether the Pope could decide that he could only be treated palliatively, the professor recalled a medical ethics conference at the Vatican on the subject of euthanasia in 2017, at which he himself had been a participant. There, the head of the Catholic Church explained that it could certainly be in the spirit of Christian ethics to refrain from certain measures at the end of life. "It is a matter of 'loving omission'. Francis emphasised that every measure at the end of life must be proportionate. Measures need a measure," says Jox.

The aim of palliative medicine is not to cure, but to provide the best possible quality of life for terminally ill people. The focus is on the patient's wishes and well-being, such as the relief of pain, dry mouth or shortness of breath. (KNA)