Pope Francis called for respect for the life of Alfie Evans during his weekly general audience on Wednesday after meeting the father of the seriously ill British toddler inside the Vatican. The pope also appealed for Vincent Laurent, a severely brain-damaged man in France.
Both patients are on life support and their families are fighting legal battles to ensure they continue to receive medical care. Referring to their plights, the pope said "the only author of life, from its beginning to its natural end, is God... it is our duty to do all that is possible to safeguard life".
Alfie Evans is suffering from an undiagnosed degenerative disease.
His family is in a legal battle with Alder Hey, a children's hospital that says it is best to withdraw ventilation as his condition cannot be treated and has destroyed much of his brain.
The boy's parents want to take him to Rome's Bambino Gesú children's hospital, which is owned by the Vatican.
The Rome hospital has reportedly given the same prognosis but would be willing to perform a tracheotomy.
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