The World Federation of
Catholic Medical Associations (FIAMC) participates in all
international meetings with topics in agreement with our
foundational aims. The Barcelona 2004 Forum (http://www.barcelona2004.org/eng) offers a remarkable opportunity to present our point of view. For
instance, on "the urgent problem of providing for the
safeguarding, the defence and the promotion of human life through
the filter of the various cultures" (John Paul II to the XV
Congress of the FIAMC in 1982). The three core themes for the Forum
provide a good platform for the exchange of ideas and projects by
the various participants.
First core theme: CULTURAL
DIVERSITY
The
associations who are members of the FIAMC are spread throughout six
regions of the world: Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand,
Europe, North America and Latin America. Thus, for decades FIAMC has
been working among very diverse cultures. We, Catholic Physicians,
primarily respect our patients as individual human beings with
inherent dignity entitled to such respect, placing their benefit
before political and economical issues and treating them without
religious, ethnic, socio-economical or sexual prejudice. (The
Promise of the Catholic Doctor, see texts selection in
http://www.fiamc.org ).
The permeation of the Gospel of Life into the different cultures
of the world has always been one of our priorities. The respect for
personal freedom of conscience has been one of our most outstanding
positions. From our perspective as followers of Jesus Christ, we
have been open to relationships with diverse expressions of thought
and life styles, without abandoning our right to give testimony and
to give our own contribution. Ours are convictions that are based
on freedom, as the only way to approach the diversity of cultures.
Second core theme: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Creation's
protection, especially of the biological, psychological, social,
familial and spiritual environment is one of the most appreciable
aims of our Federation. The right of the human person to health and
to a healthy environment generates the duty to care for human life
and the environment in a reasonable and responsible way.
Nature is endowed with some laws which doctors may not ignore nor
abandon, unless they want to squander the filogenetical and
ontogenetical heritage of Homo sapiens. In that sense,
attempts to clone human beings certainly represents a high risk to
the Biologic stability of the whole planet and to the future of
Mankind.
Scientific investigation has to be based on evidence and on ethics.
It is not permissible to play on the emotions of sick persons,
feeding false hopes about their cure or improvement through
non-evidence based therapies. It is not acceptable either, to assign
resources for research with embryonic stem cells, when those derived
from adult tissues, whose procurement does not generate special
ethical problems, have already shown efficacy. In the same way,
sufficient economic resources must be invested in order to fight
against preventable pandemics such as AIDS, malaria and
malnutrition.
Sustainable development requires personal self-control and public
moderation in the use of natural resources which are not
inexhaustible, --- as well as to make available the essential goods
and services to those in need. In that sense, we, Catholic Doctors,
assume our part of this responsibility, deciding to "give part of
our time to poor people for free " (Item 8 of the "Promise of
the Catholic Doctor")
Third core theme: CONDITIONS FOR PEACE
There is no
peace without justice and no justice without forgiveness. Health is
always threatened when there is no peace. Working for peace often
means a willingness to sacrifice some of our own goods and
conveniences. Living together on the Earth is unsustainable without
forgiveness.
Item 4 of "Promise of the Catholic Doctor" rejects
categorically the use of physicians as tools for violent or
oppressive applications of Medicine. Instead, our task is to
promote happiness by relieving suffering.
Our moral authority, backed up by thousands of doctors who daily and
worthily practise their profession, allows us to exhort the
pharmaceutical industry to reduce the price of the medications
against AIDS in Africa, without demagoguery. Commercial profits are
legitimate if some social mortgage is paid and if some debts are
forgiven: that is the way to return to Mankind some of the
legitimate benefits which result from profit. Should Africa die
from AIDS, a disease which is possible to control, not a simply a
continent will die, but a significant part of the human race.
FIAMC expresses the sincere wish that the Barcelona Forum will
result in a milestone in the relations of the human family, so that
we can speak about a "before" and an "after" of such event. We also
invite all physicians and other health care professionals of the
world to join us at the World Congress and the International
Exhibition of FIAMC in May of 2006, in the cosmopolitan city of
Barcelona (http://fiamcbarcelona2006.free.fr).