In the quiet rooms of hospitals and hospice centres, where time seems to stand still, countless people face the heavy burdens of severe illness and the approach of death. These moments are fraught with pain, fear, and sometimes an overwhelming sense of helplessness. It is here, in these tender spaces, that our compassion is needed most through unwavering presence, empathy, and dignified care.
Severe illness and the nearness of death bring physical pain, emotional turmoil, and spiritual questioning. Those facing terminal diagnoses often wrestle with feelings of worthlessness, the fear of being a burden, and existential despair. These struggles are profoundly human, and those who are suffering need attentive and compassionate responses that affirm their dignity and worth.
One should do all that is possible to alleviate suffering. The solution lies not in ending life, but in addressing pain and distress with a holistic approach. This means advancing palliative care, emotional support, and spiritual accompaniment – all measures that affirm life, while recognising the complexity of dying.
True compassion is not found in eliminating life but in embracing those who suffer, walking with them through their pain, and ensuring their needs are met with love and respect. Palliative care offers this path, focusing on relieving pain, managing symptoms, and enhancing the quality of life even in its final stages. It allows individuals to live fully until the end, surrounded by love and dignity.
Families, too, need support as they navigate the painful journey of watching a loved one decline. By fostering open conversations about the challenges they face, we can break the isolation often felt by the terminally ill and their families, creating a community of care rather than a culture of despair.
True compassion is not found in eliminating life but in embracing those who suffer, walking with them through their pain, and ensuring their needs are met with love and respect
It is evident that there is a strategy to introduce euthanasia, euphemistically termed “assisted dying”, depicting it as a dignified option. As Pope Francis says, this is a failure of love, a reflection of a ‘throwaway culture’ in which “persons are no longer seen as a paramount value to be cared for and respected” (Fratelli Tutti, 18). Compassion demands that we stand beside those who are suffering, not considering them a burden, but affirming their worth through love and care. Choosing life until its natural end respects the mystery of existence and honours the intrinsic dignity of every person.
Our society faces a critical choice: to build a culture that seeks solutions to suffering by terminating life, or one that embraces the complexity of life and death with compassion and solidarity. Let us choose to cultivate a culture that supports the vulnerable, cares for the sick and the dying – not by ending their lives, but by ensuring that every moment is infused with dignity and love.
Ultimately, the measure of our humanity is found in how we treat those who are most vulnerable. Let us commit to a compassionate approach that neither abandons the suffering, nor seeks to hasten their end. Let us walk together, embracing the pain and the beauty of life’s final journey, ensuring no one faces it alone. Through such love and solidarity, we can transform suffering not into despair, but into moments of deep connection and meaning, affirming life until its natural end.
Mgr Joseph Galea Curmi is auxiliary bishop of the Malta archdiocese.
j.galea.curmi@maltadiocese.org