Saskatoon Bishop Mark Hagemoen said the Saskatchewan bishops' recent pastoral letter on assisted suicide issued is an acknowledgment and response to the realities that have emerged after their initial document about medical assistance in dying (MAiD) was released in 2017.

“Eight years later things have not gotten better,” said Hagemoen. “Furthermore, we have all experienced as bishops from our faithful, various health-care givers and others some real frustrations that are actually increasing with the situation vis-à-vis dying and dealing with a strapped health-care system. And we have pastors and (parishioners) with roles in supporting elders and others who are dealing with incapacity or issues that compromise them at the end of their life.”

"Dying with Hope: Living and Walking Together" was signed by Hagemoen, Regina Archbishop Donald Bolen, Prince Albert Bishop Stephen Hero, Bishop Michael Smolinski of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon and the former Archbishop of Keewatin-Le Pas — now Archbishop of Winnipeg — Murray Chatlain.

The bishops recognize in the letter that “strained caregivers sometimes feel that death would be preferable to providing inadequate care. As a result, they may offer assisted suicide as a solution to the heart-wrenching suffering that they find themselves unable to relieve.”

The proclivity for euthanasia has not only been made possible by MAiD becoming more accessible and potentially administrable just 24 hours after assessment, but by the stories propagated in mainstream culture, suggested Hagemoen.

“I suppose what is disappointing for me and many of us is we hear certain romanticized accounts of assisted suicide,” said Hagemoen. “They present something that (leads) many to sympathize with those who think this is a way to go.

“Furthermore, the opposite of that is what seems to be the harsh and merciless kind of instance of a Christian message, a Catholic message, that rejects assisted death,” continued the 63-year-old prelate. “With that comes confusion and that is outlined in our letter. Much of the faithful know, but some don’t, that the Catholic Church does not insist on living at all costs. That is very different than causing wilful death.”

Hagemoen alluded to Catholics who choose to reject “extraordinary means” to preserve their life in favour of “ordinary means of care and support” to allow the dying process to take its natural course.

While MAiD has manifestly become an entrenched aspect of the Canadian health landscape — nearly five per cent of all Canadian fatalities in 2023 came from medical-killing procedures — the bishops challenged Catholics to ask important, challenging questions.

“We do well to ask: Where is our constitutional right to suitable housing, aid for disabled persons and palliative care? Why is a ‘constitutional right’ to death at the forefront of discussion about care for the elderly? What meaning does ‘autonomy’ have when death is offered while support in living is withheld?”

The bishops offer three things for the dioceses to enact to respond to the contemporary challenges.

First, they endorse increased parish participation in the Horizons of Hope: A Toolkit for Catholic Parishes on Palliative Care program developed by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) Joint Ad hoc Committee on Palliative Care. This educational resource has been credited with crystalizing the Catholic position on dying, death, suffering, accompaniment, bereavement and palliative care among the faithful.

The second proposal is for Catholics to embrace filling out a faith-based advance-care directive so they can inform their family, friends and health-care professionals about their belief-driven treatment desires before they potentially lose the capacity to make those choices.

The third call to action is making a commitment to accompany vulnerable individuals as they navigate the health-care system. The bishops suggested that “supporting individuals as they consider complex health-care decisions or receive care is a gift to both the individual who is seeking care and the person who faithfully stands with them.”

In recent months many have told The Catholic Register that priests and bishops should be choosing to speak about MAiD with greater frequency at the pulpit. Hagemoen provided his take on this suggestion.

“As a bishop, I certainly support and see the range of issues that pastors are called upon to address in a homily,” said Hagemoen. “A homily, golly, it is set upon by many themes and issues in our culture today. I would say though that I’ve seen and heard — and I try to do this myself — is when the Scripture readings are related to themes of not just life and death, but dealing with adversity and how we rely on the Christian community to support and journey with us. The Lord does that, and there are many parables about the healing power of God in Jesus Christ who receives us when we reach out to Him. So, there are lots of opportunities to speak about this.”

Hagemoen added the homily can be used to encourage congregants to seek out the supports that can bolster their faith and resolve amid adversity.

Read "Dying with Hope: Living and Walking Together" online.