 |
 |
|
|
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] a distinct disadvantage in the contest for religious preva-lence. The new Pope was well-known as a reformist, a label that had once impeded his advancement, but had recently acceler-ated it. I am prepared, the pontiff began in English, to consider the possibility that cryonics might reasonably be construed a medical treatment, not an interference with God s will. I would hear your opinions on this subject. What he meant and all dozen cardinals knew it was: Give me justifications for al-tering our position, not arguments against cryonics. The deci-sion itself had already been made. When your predecessor declared that life and death are matters for God to determine, Bishop Hannah began, he might not have meant this quite as it sounded. I think he may have been more concerned with the unproven nature of cryonic treatment, and did not wish to risk the living to it. I am aware of no specific objections raised by John Paul III to the crystalline preservation of those already dead. Yes, the Pope agreed, but I m afraid that does not get us very far. Certainly many Catholics will wish to freeze them-selves before they die. The theory, as I understand it, is that by waiting until after death, memory may be lost. John Paul III could not have possibly meant that we should not try to lengthen lives whenever possible, Cardinal Mohandas Ranganathan from Bombay offered. Clearly it is unde-sirable to disconnect body and soul prematurely. For centuries a doctrine of our Church had been that the taking of human life, whether murder, abortion, mercy killing, or suicide, is a sin. Therefore he must have regarded freezing as tantamount to death itself, perhaps because it was legally defined as such. Now that those in biostasis are no longer adjudged legally dead, per-haps his criterion would have been subject to reinterpretation. Cardinal Kwayme Knau of Ghana chimed in, In truth, under this redefinition of death, it could easily be argued that failure to freeze would be a sin. Are you certain you wish to ac-cede to such an, ahem, unorthordox reconfiguration? Perhaps not, the Pope answered, but I am open to that which both accommodates and preserves. Any other observations? The key may rest in our tenets in re the nature and purpose of the soul, Cardinal Alan Kidman of Melbourne suggested. Perhaps with the complexity of modern life, the soul needs more time to grow, to reach its God-envisioned potential. It s possible that eighty to one hundred years is no longer enough time for creditable attainment of life s spiritual goals. Sufficient time, Ranganathan interrupted, is even more critical for the perilously uncertain souls of the unsaved. As compassionate Christians, should we not welcome another chance to save such souls, rather than abandoning them to hell? Excellent points, the Pope said. But that hardly addresses our outlook on cryonic suspension of good Catholics. True, Your Holiness, Cardinal Gennady Argounova of Kiev agreed. Still, we must be optimistic. A soul that is al-ready saved will likely remain saved, even if its vessel should survive for millennia. At least that is my opinion. The Pope nodded. Experience had taught him to be less confident in human Page 125 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html religious steadfastness, yet he could hardly see his way to disagree with Argounova. Besides, in-creased longevity would inevitably belong to future genera-tions regardless of the Church s position on cryonics. Biostasis was simply a way to allow this generation some chance of sharing the long life its offspring would enjoy regardless. And a Catholic was unarguably more apt to remain Catholic than was a non-Catholic likely to convert to Catholicism. The real issue was the survival of the Church. I hate to bring this up now, just when we seem to be nearing consensus, Cardinal Angus Kennedy of Belfast said, but how will the Church regard marriages when one of the spouses becomes the metaphoric equivalent of a frozen embryo? I suppose I am open to suggestions on that issue, as well, the Pope said. But we needn t rush to cross bridges. Nearly six more months passed before the Vatican released its encyclical on cryonics. Suspendees became, in the eyes of the Catholic Church, potentially living humans, the disposition of whose souls is known only to God. Marriages involving one partner in biostasis could be maintained or dissolved at the op-tion of the surviving spouse. The day after the Vatican s announcement, Edward Zam-betti s body was found hung by the neck in his cell at Tucson Penitentiary, where he was serving a thirty-nine-year sentence for 509 counts of biostasis interruption. AudioVid records sub-sequently confirmed Zambetti s death as a suicide. January 1, 2025 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |