The event, which is jointly organized by the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) based in Qatar and the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life, is focusing on two areas of healthcare: Palliative Care, and the Mental Health of the Elderly. The symposium is examining the role that religion plays in providing holistic care in the context of medical ethics.
One of the speakers on Thursday, the second and final day of the gathering, was Bishop Noël Simard, Bishop of Valleyfield, Québec, in Canada, who spoke on the mental health and wellbeing of older people. Following his presentation, he spoke to Vatican News about the importance of improving the quality of life of elderly patients from a spiritual perspective.
This symposium is looking at palliative care and the mental health of older people from an interfaith perspective, with Catholic, Muslim and Jewish experts taking part. Bishop Simard said it was “very interesting that exactly all religions are facing the same problems, and when we speak of faith communities it’s not only Catholic communities or Jewish, it’s all religions and we have to create ways to speak to each other; to collaborate.” He went on to say that if religions can pool resources it could provide a concrete way of accompanying older people.
Over the past two days, sessions at the symposium have included a focus on Christian, Islamic and medical perspectives on ethics and palliative care, maintaining a bridge of love between people with dementia and their carers, and suicide and life-threatening behavior among the elderly.
The symposium on Religion and Medical Ethics concludes on 12th December. Vatican News Department
