Rome, Sep. 27, 2006 (CNA) - The President of the Pontifical Council for Health Care, Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, has reiterated the Church’s teaching that euthanasia is a form of murder.
 
 Speaking to the Italian daily “La Repubblica,” the Mexican cardinal emphasized, “This is one of the teachings of the Church in the field of medicine and serious illness, a truth that the believer must never forget.” “Man can never take the place of God,” he said, “as those who promote euthanasia pretend to do.”
 
 At the same time, however, the cardinal noted that it is not moral to prolong a sick person’s agony with medical treatment that serves no purpose. “Palliative care for the alleviating of useless suffering” should always be preferred, he added.
 
 A video sent to the Italian president showing a handicapped man who cannot breathe on his own has sparked an intense debate on euthanasia in Italy, where the practice is currently illegal