Five months after the CCCB and the PAV co-hosted Towards a Narrative of Hope: An International Interfaith Symposium on Palliative Care in Toronto from May 21-23, the post-symposium working group unveiled a formalized statement and a list of suggested next steps on Oct. 24.

Synthesized from the expertise and testimonials of the ethical, medical, health care, policy, legal and communications professionals who participated in the conference, the six recommendations for actions outlined in the document are:

1. Advocate that palliative care be deemed an essential medical service under the Canada Health Act;
2. Offer a conceptualization of end-of-life care that is distinct from the euthanasia regime. Additionally, strive to identify ways to restrain the harms inflicted by laws permitting medical assistance in dying (MAiD);
3. Push to secure legal protection for health-care practitioners and hospitals so they are not coerced into offering procedures that violate their beliefs and values;
4. Magnify efforts to grow public awareness among parishes, schools and community organizations regarding early and comprehensive palliative care. The CCCB’s Horizons of Hope: A Toolkit for Catholics on Palliative Care, which was developed with multiple partners, will be a key resource in this educational campaign;   
5. Continue inter-faith dialogue about bolstering access to palliative care to advance the common good;
6. Challenge people of all faiths to actively support this cause in the public square.

Bishop Emeritus Noel Simard of Valleyfield, Que., who chaired the symposium, said all these proposed measures will hopefully result in Canada becoming more life-affirming.

“We (want to) develop a culture of social responsibility and a culture of comprehensive and quality palliative care,” said Simard. “Pope Francis clearly indicated that palliative care is radically different from euthanasia, which is a failure of love and an expression of the throwaway culture of today.”

Moira McQueen, the director of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute (CCBI), said she is happy to see the Horizons of Hope toolkit that she helped develop poised “to fly even further.”

“I think it is just essential to have basic knowledge of where we're at in Canada at the minute, as far as palliative care is concerned,” said McQueen. “It's also important for people to know a little bit about what palliative care is, quite apart from the access, because many people at the (training) sessions express a wish to be in line with Catholic teaching.”

McQueen said the action plan’s stated intent to “start these discussions” about dying and end-of-life care at an earlier age by discussing these topics in schools and family life programs is a worthy endeavour. However, she noted “it will be a real challenge” because “these are not easy topics.”

Ultimately, the CCCB, particularly its Office for Family and Life, and the PAV desire to make these difficult subjects more palatable for discussion by working “towards a narrative of hope.”

According to the statement, all symposium attendees embrace a culture of palliative care that understands “human life as a gift,” and recognizes “human persons are more than a collection of symptoms to be treated.” People of faith are also called to participate in the “sacred ministry of presence” by remembering “the call to compassion and solidarity,” being mindful of “the preferential option for the poor, marginalized and those excluded in our societies; and accompanying the ill and dying — and their families.”

Effective accompaniment includes enlightening the loved one or friend in need of your support about what the Catholic faith teaches about suffering, said Simard.

“A culture of quality palliative care also expresses the needs of the spiritual dimensions,” said Simard. "(We need to share) the meaning of life when we are facing the end and when we are facing suffering. I think we have to tell people more and more that we are dying with Christ and suffering with Christ.”

Simard said the post-symposium working group will be divided into three subgroups. One will be responsible for cultivating a network of supporters for CCCB and the PAV’s vision of palliative care. The second faction will be charged with developing educational resources. The third group will work on urging governments and regulatory bodies to respect the rights of Catholic health institutions.