Pope calls for compassionate care paid family leave

Pope Benedict believes that workers should be given a form of “death leave” by their employers – similar to maternity and paternity leave – to care for terminally ill close relatives.

Addressing delegates to an international conference in Rome entitled ‘Close by the Incurable Sick Person and the Dying, Scientific and Ethical Aspects’, the Pope said it was becoming more common for elderly people in large cities to be alone, “even in moments of serious illness and when approaching death”.

“Society must ensure due support to families who undertake to care in the home, sometimes for long periods, sick members who are afflicted with degenerative conditions, or who need particularly costly assistance.

“No believer should die alone and abandoned. All of society is called to respect the life and dignity of the seriously ill and dying,” the Pope said.