[Acrylic-bob]

Zindergirl asks “how on earth can you view this thread as bad taste?” There is a part of me which holds the view that if you need to ask why, it would be a futile waste of time to attempt to explain.
However, that part of me will just have to sit on its hands and fume in disgust while I make the following observations.

Throughout his life and his reign the Pope has attempted to provide for Catholics, Christians and the World a model for how a life should be lived and the value we should place on life. Often in the face of criticism and extreme personal danger. Catholic Dogma aside, this is, in itself, both remarkable and admirable.

It may seem curious to some for the Vatican, historically an organisation not known for its openness, to be broadcasting intimate medical details of the Pope’s decline into his terminal hours. It does this at the behest of the Pope himself as his final lesson on the sanctity of life and as a reminder to us that though the manner of approaching old age and death may sometimes be long, painful and distressing, it may still be accomplished with dignity and respect. In doing this, the Pope reminds us that the ending of a life is just as important a component of that life as it’s beginning or it’s middle.

In an age where respect for the elderly and terminally ill has never been at a lower ebb, this is a vital lesson. We are invited by the Pope to witness, as closely as possible, an event which, though it may be uncomfortable and distressing to many, is of direct relevance to each and every one of us.

The willingness to share the manner of what is a uniquely personal event with the whole of mankind should command universal respect. To canvas bets on the progress of the Pope’s decline is to trivialise it and worse, to slap a dying man in the face.