"THE DIGNITY OF THE DYING" IS THEME OF ACADEMY ASSEMBLY

VATICAN CITY, FEB 17, 1999 (VIS) - The Pontifical Academy for Life will hold its fifth General Assembly in the Vatican's Old Synod Hall February 24-27 on the theme "The Dignity of Dying," according to an academy communique published today.

This theme follows in the line of previous academy meetings on topics such as "The Identity and Statute of the Human Embryo," "The Human Genome" and "Human Personality and Society in the Future."

The communique states that, "in treating the theme 'The Dignity of Dying', our purpose was to include not only an examination of proposals to legalize euthanasia; but to study as well society in all its cultural and socio-psychological attitudes towards death and dying, which we will do on the first day; we will examine the theme of death in its medical and philosophical reality on the second day and, on the third, we wish above all to underline the dignity of the dying person, a dignity dubiously cited by pro-euthanasia movements themselves, and we intend to recall the duties inherent in assisting the dying."

The communique added that 17 scholars from outside the pontifical academy and from numerous countries will participate in the assembly.

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