We were all lined up at our desks, blank forms at the ready an plenty of pens for St. Michael’s parishioners to use. 

VATICAN – Begging Pope Francis to help his son, Alfie, Tom Evans met with the pontiff, pleading for "asylum" in Italy so his seriously ill son may receive care and not be euthanized in England.

VATICAN – Highlighting the plight of a seriously ill toddler in Great Britain and a severely brain-damaged man in France, Pope Francis called for greater respect for every patient's life and dignity.

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, described a physician’s career this way: “Life is short, the art long, opportunity fleeting, experiment dangerous and judgment difficult.” So, who in their right mind would want to be a doctor?

OTTAWA – Euthanasia opponents and disability rights activists are uneasy about a process to liberalize Canada’s euthanasia law — a law which they say still lacks regulations and proper safeguards.

I am a second-year medical student at the University of Toronto. Next year, my peers and I will embark on a series of rigorous and demanding clinical rotations, shortly after which we will decide which area of medicine we will pursue in our professional lives. Conversations about the future abound. 

An Ontario campaign to pressure politicians over the protection of health care conscience rights is “democracy in action,” said an organizer.

SURREY, B.C. – Assisted suicide was legalized just over a year ago, but the debate is far from over.

The international society of Catholic doctors is using Canada as an example of what can go wrong when doctors are forced to refer for abortion.

VATICAN – No physician should be forced to choose between violating his or her conscience and facing professional sanctions when defending human life, said the president of the World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations.

The Christian Medical and Dental Society of Canada is asking the Ontario Court of Appeal to take a second look at their case against the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.

While doctors who lost their right to practise medicine according to their conscience contemplate a legal appeal, a prominent pro-euthanasia organization suspects faith-based hospitals, nursing homes and hospices may be next to face demands to accommodate euthanasia and assisted suicide.

A doctor’s conscience takes a back seat to a patient’s right to have medical procedures such as assisted suicide and abortion, Ontario’s Divisional Court ruled Jan. 31.

OXFORD, England – Catholics in Belgium are concerned the country's euthanasia law is being abused to kill patients without legal checks and safeguards.

OTTAWA – Religious freedom and conscience rights will continue to be top agenda items for Catholic and other faith groups in 2018 as challenges play out in the courts and in the public arena.