Official statement of the Schindler family on the passing of Terri Schindler Schiavo

"For charity and love of heart knows no bounds, no restrictions" - Our Lady of the Roses

Official statement of the Schindler family on the passing of Terri Schindler Schiavo…

"You will pray for those who castigate you. Pray to those who have made themselves enemies of your household. Even they may be returned in the light of grace. It is easy to love, My child, those who extend their warm hearts to you, but it is great virtue to love those who have closed their hearts to you." - Jesus, June 18, 1975

LifeSiteNews.com reported on April 1, 2005

The following is the text of the statement read by Terri Schindler Schiavo's sister, Suzanne Vitadamo; and brother, Bobby Schindler, in front of the Woodside Hospice, in Pinellas Park, Florida, at a 4:30 PM, press conference yesterday.

As you are aware, Terri is now with God and she has been released from all earthly burdens. After these recent years of neglect at the hands of those who were supposed to protect and care for her, she is finally at peace with God for eternity. We are speaking on behalf of our entire family this evening as we share some thoughts and messages to the world regarding our sister and the courageous battle that was waged to save her life from starvation and dehydration.

We have a message for the volunteers that have helped our family:

Thank you for all that you've done for our family. Thank you to the hundreds of doctors who volunteered to help Terri. Thank you to the fifty doctors who provided statements under oath to help Terri. Thank you to the lawyers who stood for Terri's life in the courtrooms of our nation. From running our family's website, to driving us around, to making meals, to serving in so many ways-thank you to all of the volunteers who have been so kind to our family through all of this.

We have a message for the supporters and people praying worldwide:

Please continue to pray that God gives grace to our family as we go through this very difficult time. We know that many of you never had the privilege to personally know our wonderful sister, Terri, but we assure you that you can be proud of this remarkable woman who has captured the attention of the world. Following the example of the Lord Jesus, our family abhors any violence or any threats of violence. Threatening words dishonor our faith, our family, and our sister, Terri. We would ask that all those who support our family be completely kind in their words and deeds toward others.

We have a message to the media:

We appreciate your taking Terri's case to the nation. Please afford our family privacy to grieve at this time. The patience and graciousness of the on-site media here at hospice has been deeply appreciated by our family.

We have a message to the many government officials who tried to help Terri:

Thank you for all that you've done. Our family will be forever grateful to all of the outstanding public servants who have tried to save Terri.

We have a message to all of the religious leaders who tried to help Terri:

Thank you to all people of faith who demonstrated love for Terri and strength of conviction to defend the sacredness of all human life as a precious gift from God. Our family is highly honored that the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, would speak out so boldly on behalf of our sister, Terri.

We have a message of forgiveness:

Throughout this ordeal, we are reminded of the words of Jesus on the cross: "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." Our family seeks forgiveness for anything that we have done in standing for Terri's life that has not demonstrated the love and compassion required of us by our faith.

We have a message to parents worldwide:

Our family would encourage parents to spend time with their children and to cherish each and every moment of each and every day with them as a precious gift from God.

We have a message to Terri from her family:

As a member of our family unable to speak for yourself, you spoke loudly. As a member of our family unable to stand under your own power, you stood with a grace and a dignity that made your family proud. Terri, we love you dearly, but we know that God loves you more than we do. We must accept your untimely death as God's will.

Terri, your life and legacy will continue to live on, as the nation is now awakened to the plight of thousands of voiceless people with disabilities that were previously unnoticed. Your family intends to stand up for the other "Terri's" around this nation and we will do all that we can to change the law so others won't face the same fate that has befallen you.

We have a final thought to share:

Our family had hoped this day would never come, but as it has now arrived, we ask ourselves a question in these incredibly sad circumstances: What would the Lord Jesus ask us to do in a moment like this? In John's Gospel, Jesus responded to the questions of the rabbis, who asked why a man had been born blind. He said: "it is so that the works of God might be made manifest through him."

God's plan for Terri is unfolding before our eyes. Our prayer at this time is that our Nation will remember the plight of persons with disabilities and commit within our hearts to defend their lives and their dignity for many generations to come.

********

"My child and My children, if I could take you with Me and give you the eyes to see and the ears to hear, you'll understand why I have cried out to you in the past to protect your soul, your children's souls, your families, and accept as a victim soul the graces given to you from Heaven to reach out with to save others. For charity and love of heart knows no bounds, no restrictions, but in giving does one really bring forth the true meaning of love." - Our Lady of the Roses, June 18, 1981

Church teaching against euthanasia:

Many people are ignorant of the Church's teaching regarding ordinary nursing care towards extremely ill or terminally ill patients. The Church states that "decisions about these patients should be guided by a presumption in favor of medically-assisted nutrition and hydration” and that for patients, even in an irreversible coma, "all care should be lavished on him, including feeding."

Pope John Paul II, March 20, 2004:
The Holy Father emphasized that water and food, even when administered artificially, are "a natural means of preserving life, not a medical procedure. Therefore, their use must be considered ordinary and appropriate and as such, morally obligatory."
The probability that there is little hope for recovery, "when the vegetative state lasts longer than a year, cannot ethically justify abandoning or interrupting basic care, including food and hydration, of a patient." Death by starvation or dehydration carried out "consciously or deliberately is truly euthanasia by omission."
The Pope recalled the "moral principal according to which even the slightest doubt of being in the presence of a person who is alive requires full respect and prohibits any action that would anticipate his or her death. . The value of the life of a man cannot be subjected to the judgement of quality expressed by other men; it is necessary to promote positive activities to counteract pressure for the suspension of food and hydration, as a means to putting an end to the life of these patients."

Pontifical Council on Health Affairs, “Cor Unum,” June 27, 1981:
“On the contrary, there remains the strict obligation to continue by all means those measures which are called ‘minimal’, which are intended normally and customarily for the maintenance of life (alimentation, blood transfusions, injections, etc.). To interrupt these minimal measures would be equivalent, in practice, to wishing to put an end to the life of the patient.”

Pontifical Academy of Sciences, October 1985:
“If the patient is in a permanent coma, irreversible as far as it can be foreseen, treatment is not required, but all care should be lavished on him, including feeding... If treatment is of no benefit to the patient, it may be interrupted while continuing with the care of the patient.”

U.S. Bishops, Nutrition and Hydration: Moral and Pastoral Reflections:
”Therefore we are gravely concerned about current attitudes and policy trends in our society that would too easily dismiss patients without apparent mental faculties as non-persons or as undeserving of human care and concern. In this climate, even legitimate moral arguments intended to have a careful and limited application can easily be misinterpreted, broadened, and abused by others to erode respect for the lives of some of our society’s most helpless members. In light of these concerns, it is our considered judgment that while legitimate Catholic moral debate continues, decisions about these patients should be guided by a presumption in favor of medically-assisted nutrition and hydration.”

New Jersey Catholic Conference, January 22, 1987:
Another pertinent statement regarding the nutrition/hydration debate was given by the New Jersey Catholic Conference on January 22, 1987 in a friend-of-the-court brief entitled, “Providing Food and Fluids to Severely Brain Damaged Patients.” This document was in reaction to the Nancy Ellen Jobes case pending at the time before the New Jersey Court:

"The [New Jersey Catholic] Conference maintains that nutrition and hydration, being basic to human life, are aspects of normal care, which are not excessively burdensome, that should always be provided to a patient. Nutrition and hydration are clearly distinguished from medical treatment. Medical treatment is aimed at curing a disease. Nutrition and hydration are directed at sustaining life. Medical treatment is therapeutic; nutrition and hydration are not, because they will not cure any disease. For that fundamental reason we insist that nutrition and hydration must always be maintained....” (Origins, January 22, 1987, p. 583)

"And I repeat again to all clergy in My Son's House: you shall not rationalize sin. Abortion is murder, and murder condemns you to hell without repentance! Euthanasia is murder, and murder condemns you to hell without repentance! The Commandments of your God must be followed, and no changes will be made upon them to suit the basic fallen nature of mankind." - Our Lady of the Roses, November 20, 1979

"No man shall murder--and it is murder, My children, when he shall give the excuse of saying an individual is no longer living or a part of the world because he has become emaciated, because he lives only with prayers and the help of all scientific means." - Our Lady of the Roses, June 5, 1976

"Who will be safe in your land, My children? You will one day grow old. Will you be a burden to your family, to be removed without heart? When you grow sick, you are ill, will you become too much of a burden to your society and they will remove you?" - Our Lady of the Roses, March 25, 1972

The awesome Bayside Prophecies... http://www.tldm.org/Bayside/default.htm
These prophecies came from Jesus, Mary, and the saints to Veronica Lueken at Bayside, NY, from 1968 to 1995:

EUTHANASIA
“The time will come, My child, when those who are upon the earth will envy those have passed beyond the veil. Insanity, sin. Sin is insanity. The aged will be put to death, the crippled will be put to death, the mentally ill will be eliminated. The value of life will be gone. The value for life will be destroyed. Murderers! Sanctioned among those with the power to destroy the souls!” – Jesus, March 18, 1974

TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
"No man shall murder--and it is murder, My children, when he shall give the excuse of saying an individual is no longer living or a part of the world because he has become emaciated, because he lives only with prayers and the help of all scientific means. The Eternal Father has placed a soul in that body. That body is the temple of the Holy Spirit! No man can know when that soul must return to the Eternal Father. No man shall hasten its exit from a body by murder! Euthanasia is murder! Shall you become a judge over the living and the dead?" - Our Lady, June 5, 1976

CONDEMNS TO HELL
"And I repeat again to all clergy in My Son's House: you shall not rationalize sin. Abortion is murder, and murder condemns you to hell without repentance! Euthanasia is murder, and murder condemns you to hell without repentance! The Commandments of your God must be followed, and no changes will be made upon them to suit the basic fallen nature of mankind.
"The road to Heaven, My children, is a narrow one; too few stay upon it. For they are often carried away with the cares of the world, and the pleasures of the materialistic pursuits, and their gathering of money and prestige and power. For what? For the few short years allotted to each human upon earth. I ask you to ask yourself: is it worth it to lose your soul? Many will sell their souls to get to the head." - Our Lady, November 20, 1979

START AND EXPIRATION OF LIFE
"The Eternal Father is much distressed by mankind's actions. They must not try to control the start and expiration of a life. Abortion is murder, My children, for you bring to an untimely end a mission of a soul. The Eternal Father breathes the spirit of life into the body at the moment of conception. No man shall destroy this body until it has completed its mission as directed by the Eternal Father, for any man who destroys the mission and the body is guilty of murder. Euthanasia, untimely death, My children, man has transgressed into a form of evil far worse than in the time of Noe or Sodom. Therefore, how great shall be the punishment to mankind!" - Our Lady, June 12, 1976

GREAT CHASTISEMENT
"My child and My children, the murders of the unborn will bring great chastisement upon the United States, Canada, and the nations of the world, that are now contributing not only to the delinquency of your children and the world's children, but are condoning murder and euthanasia. Euthanasia, My child and My children, is murder!
"We have been very patient. The Eternal Father has voiced His decision within My hearing, and I tell you, My children, your chastisement is just at hand." - Jesus, July 1, 1985

DOCTORS OF THE EARTH
"I have, O woe to man, this saddest of stories: one of man against man, brother against brother, mother against daughter, father against son, in the battle of the spirits. Now, O poor aged and helpless, poor on earth, you will now be victims of your own. Doctors of the earth, what have you done to yourselves in your practices? You do not seek to preserve life, but to destroy.” – Our Lady, March 18, 1973

Directives from Heaven... http://www.tldm.org/directives/directives.htm

D78 - Charity PDF
D135 - Moral Issues PDF

Articles...

Pope John Paul II says euthanasia "seeks to establish who can live and who must die"
http://www.tldm.org/News7/euthanasia3.htm

Links...

Martin Katz on Terri Schiavo ("We have wounded our national character. By our actions, or inactions, we have placed ourselves one notch less, above the Nazis"), The American Thinker, March 30, 2005
http://www.americanthinker.com/comments.php?comments_id=1874

Press Misrepresents Catholic Teaching on End of Life Issues ("Food and water should always be seen as basic care"), Newsmax, March 30, 2005
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/3/29/222017.shtml

Bishop Thomas Wenski: The passion of Terri Schiavo
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-edpwenski20032005mar20,1,4133493.story?coll=orl-opinion-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true

Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor rues abortion, Schiavo starvation

http://www.rcdow.org.uk/cardinal/default.asp?content_ref=343

Cardinal O'Brien, in Easter homily, blasts culture of death, Schiavo starvation
http://www.scmo.org/_titles/view.asp?id=359

Governor Bush is just following orders: "Good" Germans followed judges and other officials in obeying the law of the land 60 years ago, James Atticus Bowden, March 28, 2005
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/bowden/050328

Nazis used starvation to kill; is a war crime, Newsmax, March 26, 2005
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/3/26/183127.shtml

Giant leap towards Culture of Death, David Limbaugh, March 25, 2005
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/3/24/211436.shtml

Starved for justice, Ann Coulter, March 24, 2005
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43464

Florida neurologist: Terri's no vegetable, WorldNetDaily, March 24, 2005
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43470

Dehydration death called 'cruel, agonizing', WorldNetDaily, March 24, 2005
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43467

Vatican official: Terri facing cruel death, Newsmax, March 23, 2005
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/3/23/115029.shtml

Archbishop Chaput calls Schiavo’s starvation an ‘attack on the sanctity of human life’, Catholic News Agency, March 23, 2005
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=3428

Nazis: Pioneers in Medicine, Patrick Buchanan, March 23, 2005
http://www.theamericancause.org/a-pjb-050323-nazi.htm

A lie taken for the truth: The Terri Shiavo case, Newsmax, March 22, 2005
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/3/21/203724.shtml

Media 'getting it wrong' on Terri Schiavo story: Press erroneously report she's 'comatose,' doctors also dispute vegetative-state ruling, WorldNetDaily, March 22, 2005
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=35270

Nurse: Michael tried to kill Terri - Former caregiver asserts husband 'doesn't want the truth to be known', WorldNetDaily, March 22, 2005
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43427

Nobel Prize nominated neurologist Dr. William Hammesfahr rejects claim that Terri is in a persistent vegetative state, LifeNews.com, March 21, 2005

http://www.lifenews.com/bio817.html

Bush signs bill to save Terri: House votes overwhelmingly to make Schiavo case federal, WorldNetDaily, March 21, 2005
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43406

Bush making surprise return to Washington because of Schiavo case, Seattle Times, March 19, 2005

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002213401_webbush19.html

Attorney: Terri cried at news, claims brain-injured woman said she wants to live, WorldNetDaily, March 18, 2005
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43383

License to kill, Mark Alexander, March 18, 2005
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/markalexander/ma20050318.shtml

Prayers for Terri, David Limbaugh, March 15, 2005
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/davidlimbaugh/dl20050315.shtml

The Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul II, March 25, 1995
http://www.ewtn.com/library/ENCYC/JP2EVANG.HTM

"My children, My little humble children, I appeal to you as your Mother, go forward on foot, knock on the doors; bring the light to your brothers and sisters. For those who have been given great grace, much is expected of them." - Our Lady of the Roses May 26, 1976

We encourage everyone to print or email copies of this web page to all the Bishops and all the clergy. Also, email or send this web page to the news media and as many people as possible.

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