Radio Netherlands Worldwide

The priest did what he is supposed to do.
1. Obey God's commandment: "Thou shalt not kill". Not even yourself. If you do then you have committed a serious sin and are not entitled to a Catholic funeral. This not new Church teaching.
2. He obeyed his bishop, who left no doubt that Euthanasia is suicide when a person is declaring him- or herself to be of sound mind. That declaration is made deliberately often times well before the person experiences suffering.
The bishops have a duty to make that teachings clear. It will only be heard by those who are willing to listen. Then they will know the consequences of opting for euthatasia. They have a duty to obey the teaching of their bishop and their priest who act "in persona Christi"
A mitigating factor to what is objectively speaking a mortal sin may be that the deceased person may have been so influenced by the culture of death prevalent today that, like many people, he may have lost the sense of what is right and what is wrong.
I hope that others will learn from this example and realize the great evil of euthahasia.
The parish council is also very seriously wrong in its actions. The members have set a very poor example. They are dissentersto the Catholic faith and should be dismissed from parish council. Being disobedient, they are unfit to provide council to the priest.

May God have mercy on the soul of the diseased.