Vatican: Parents, hospital must talk in UK sick toddler case
LONDON — Pope Francis offered prayers after his traditional Sunday blessing in St. Peter’s Square for Alfie Evans, a terminally ill British toddler whose parents are locked with hospital officials in a legal battle over his care.
The pontiff said such situations are “very painful and complex” as he prayed for Alfie and others who are suffering serious infirmities. He expressed hope that they “are always respected in their dignity and cared for in a way suitable to their conditions, with the agreement of family members, doctors and health workers.”
Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia, head of the Pontifical Academy of Life, a Vatican bioethics think-tank , said earlier Sunday that Alfie’s parents and hospital officials should work together so his life isn’t “reduced to a legal dispute.”
Francis’ comments mark the second time in less than a year that he has intervened in the case of a terminally ill British child. Last July, he spoke out on behalf of Charlie Gard, who died of a rare genetic disease after a vicious court battle in which his parents sought treatment first in the United States and then Italy.