The Pope and the Possibilities of the Path Less Traveled

Pope Francis's Address to the participants of the conference "Yes to Life! Taking Care of the Precious Gift of Life in Its Frailty" powerfully touches on multiple important aspects of the care of children experiencing "extreme frailty." It is a deeply moral account of the ch...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Perspectives in biology and medicine 2020, Vol.63 (3), p.544-548
Main Author: Hardart, George E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Children
Children & youth
Death & dying
Frailty
Francis (Pope)
Pain
Parents & parenting
Patients
Pediatrics
Physicians
Primary care
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Pope Francis's Address to the participants of the conference "Yes to Life! Taking Care of the Precious Gift of Life in Its Frailty" powerfully touches on multiple important aspects of the care of children experiencing "extreme frailty." It is a deeply moral account of the challenges that health-care providers, families, and patients confront in the technologically sophisticated and confusing world of modern medicine. This commentary draws upon a clinical case to contextualize the Pope's words in the hope of achieving a nuanced understanding of what pediatric palliative care offers to children experiencing extreme frailty. In his Address, the Pope asks health-care providers to consider an approach to frailty and suffering that allows for the opportunity to experience transcendent meaning and transpersonal value, and recognizes that it would be difficult to achieve these goals without the comprehensive and capable care offered by pediatric palliative care specialists.
ISSN:0031-5982
1529-8795
1529-8795
DOI:10.1353/pbm.2020.0045