In response to an article in our June issue, several physicians and ethicists say there are serious questions about the accuracy of determining brain death under the current criteria.

The parish can be a nexus for sharing hopes and fears about the last stage of life. Clarifying Catholic teaching about medical technologies and care at the end of life would be another helpful step.

“Authentic palliative care is radically different from euthanasia, which is never a source of hope or genuine concern for the sick and dying,” the pope said in a message to the first International Interfaith Symposium on Palliative Care in Toronto.

Many professionals who care for strangers are not religious workers, but they play a pivotal role in reinforcing the imago Dei, the notion that all people are made in the image of God.

This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley are joined by Megan Nix, the author of Remedies for Sorrow: An Extraordinary Child, a Secret Kept from Pregnant Women, and a Mother's Pursuit of the Truth.

A new statement on end-of-life care threatens established Catholic tradition.