After a very disappointing statement from Archbishop Paglia of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life, Pope Francis has changed the tune coming from the Vatican by offering his support for the terminally ill Charlie Gard’s parents that they are able “to accompany and care for their own child until the end.”
Wading directly into a charged moral and political debate in the UK, and also appearing to recalibrate an earlier statement from the head of his own Pontifical Academy for Life, Pope Francis on Sunday expressed hope that the desire of 10-month-old Charlie Gard’s parents “to accompany and care for their own child to the end” will be respected.
“The Holy Father follows with affection and commotion the situation of Charlie Gard, and expresses his own closeness to his parents,” reads a statement issued by Greg Burke, the pope’s spokesperson.
“He prays for them, wishing that their desire to accompany and care for their own child to the end will be respected.”