RUGĂCIUNEA BISERICII PENTRU CEL MURIBUND ȘI PROBLEMATIZAREA MORALĂ PRIVIND EUTANASIA
RUGĂCIUNEA BISERICII PENTRU CEL MURIBUND ȘI PROBLEMATIZAREA MORALĂ PRIVIND EUTANASIA

Summary/Abstract: Associating a prayer that belongs to the long-standingtradition of the Orthodox Church with a contemporary theme,such as euthanasia, may seem strange, as at the time the prayerwas written, the ethical consideration of euthanasia was certainlyunknown. However, the timelessness of illness, pain and death,the existential agony of human at the end of life and theunwavering commitment of the Church to the suffering anddying person allow, in our view, the exploration of the Church’sprayer on deathbed in the context of the good and desirabledeath. It is noteworthy that, while in all liturgical texts the curefrom illness is pleaded for, in this specific prayer the desire ofdeath is expressed, in order to redeem human from the“unbearable suffering due to the bitter illness”. In thisperspective, the content of the prayer is presented, which seemsto have important elements in common with the modern demandfor a positive response to euthanasia, namely the free will of thepatient and the desire for a quick and painless death. Despitethese, the prayer on deathbed does not favor the acceptance ofeuthanasia for two reasons. Firstly, the request for a painlessdeath is addressed to God and its fulfillment is expected onlyfrom Him and not from the doctor or the relatives. And secondly,MiltiadeVANȚOS34this request is accompanied by a plea for the forgiveness of thesins of the moribund, expressing his faith and hope in eternal life,his trust in God and not despair and distress. The article isconcluded with some remarks concerning the understanding ofgood death from the point of view of orthodox ethics.

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