Katherine Pettus
@kpettus.bsky.social
Political theorist, Benedictine oblate, and advocate for global palliative care and essential medicines with the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care. I live in Chinchon, Spain. All tweets are my own.
"Medicine must never become the servant of programmed death!...Be passionate servants of life. In this regard, I urge you resolutely to develop structures for palliative care and research.” Pope Leo XIV, Lourdes. www.vatican.va/content/leo-...
Feast of St Lawrence August 10, 2026 The treasure of palliative care. By definition, people and cultures ‘treasure’ what they value. Jesus taught us that where our treasure is our heart is (Matt:6:21). St. Lawrence echoed this in the 3rd century when he told the Roman prefect that that the poor,…
Feast of St Lawrence August 10, 2026
The treasure of palliative care. By definition, people and cultures ‘treasure’ what they value. Jesus taught us that where our treasure is our heart is (Matt:6:21). St. Lawrence echoed this in the 3rd century when he told the Roman prefect that that the poor, sick and disabled -- not gold, art, and property – are the true treasures of the church.
katherinepettusconsulting.wordpress.com
Palliative care aligns with the ethics of all world religions Introduction Palliative care provided by teams of trained health workers in the clinic, hospital, or at home is designed to relieve the pain and discomfort that afflicts people who have been diagnosed with serious illness.[1] Palliative…
Palliative care aligns with the ethics of all world religions
Introduction Palliative care provided by teams of trained health workers in the clinic, hospital, or at home is designed to relieve the pain and discomfort that afflicts people who have been diagnosed with serious illness.[1] Palliative care teams know that something more can always be done for patients and families who have been sent home when their doctor rules that ‘nothing more can be done’ once their disease is no longer curable.
katherinepettusconsulting.wordpress.com
Feast of St Thomas July 3 2026, and palliative care Each person is a sacred gift that reflects your face,from the first instant of existenceto the final breath of their journey on earth. Pope Leo’s July prayer message on Respect for Human Life aligns with today’s feast of St Thomas, one of the…
Feast of St Thomas July 3 2026, and palliative care
Each person is a sacred gift that reflects your face,from the first instant of existenceto the final breath of their journey on earth. Pope Leo’s July prayer message on Respect for Human Life aligns with today’s feast of St Thomas, one of the twelve apostles who reputedly founded the “St Thomas Christians” in Kerala, India. Many 3rd century historians documented Thomas’ post resurrection voyages to Syria, Malabar, and South India following his ecstatic, recognition of the Risen Lord.
katherinepettusconsulting.wordpress.com
Such a great weak with colleagues from @iahpc.org presenting 5 statements at the World Health Assembly #WHA79 and attending and presenting at side events. #palliativecare A VERY passionate group of advocates iahpc.org/what-we-do/c...
Woo hoo!! Congratulations to my Hungarian friends! Hungary’s Orban, a Beacon to the Right Wing, Concedes Election Defeat www.nytimes.com/2026/04/12/w...
Hungary’s Orban, a Beacon to the Right Wing, Concedes Election Defeat
nytimes.com
It was nice to see @lancetgh.bsky.social editors wrote an editorial in the issue of the journal featuring our article. They committed to being "mindful of these expectations in all work that we evaluate". Restoring dignity to the marginalised as sovereign knowers: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Restoring dignity to the marginalised as sovereign knowers
Power imbalances persist in research, prioritising the experience and knowledge of those with social, political, and economic power while silencing or misrepresenting others. This dynamic—which is int...
thelancet.com
Seye Abimbola@seyeabimbola.bsky.social · last yr.Please read our new @lancetgh.bsky.social paper "Dignity-based practice in global health research: a framework of expectations" www.thelancet.com/journals/lan... We analysed complaints on knowledge practices in global health to identify expectations that affirm the dignity of marginalised knowers.
I’ll be speaking on advocacy and ethics.
International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care@iahpc.org · 7mo ago69th Commission on Narcotic Drugs – Official Side Event Ensuring Global Access to Controlled Medicines: Bridging Public Health, Clinical Practice, and Policy 13 March 2026 10:00 am, Vienna time (UTC+1) M6, Vienna International Center & online Join 👉🏻 l.iahpc.org/zrl?b #PalliativeCare #CND69
"It was Christ’s humble birth that set the stage. It was the first lesson in a series: to oppress others is to oppress Christ, to hate others is to hate Christ, and to love your enemies can be the most dangerous and revolutionary act of them all." www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/o...
Opinion | Christianity Is a Dangerous Faith
nytimes.com
.@pontifex Leo supports ecumenical #palliativecare “Finland has been described as “a model country for ecumenism (...) I know that the bishops of Helsinki (...) have jointly affirmed that “the development of palliative and end-of-life care must continue.” www.vatican.va/content/leo-...
“Civil society and States have a responsibility to respond concretely to situations of vulnerability, offering solutions to human suffering, such as palliative care, and promoting policies of authentic solidarity, rather than encouraging deceptive forms of compassion, such as euthanasia.” Pope Leo
Pope Leo:”Civil society & States also have a responsibility to respond concretely to situations of vulnerability, offering solutions to human suffering, such as palliative care, and promoting policies of authentic solidarity, rather than encouraging deceptive forms of compassion such as euthanasia.”
Incarnation means that “Solidarity becomes the criterion of all human relationships, calling us to strive for justice & peace, to care for the most fragile, and to defend the weak. God has become flesh; therefore, there is no authentic worship of God without care for humanity.” #palliativecare
Tools for pandemic preparedness sometimes overlook humanitarian settings, where conflict and fragile governance negate traditional preparedness tools. To determine outbreak readiness, local and national capacity should be assessed together.
Repairing Global Health Security at the Humanitarian Frontline | Think Global Health
Reorienting the global preparedness system to include humanitarian settings requires conceptual and operational shifts
thinkglobalhealth.org
An Advent Message: UHC Day 2025, Handel’s Messiah, and IAHPC’s work towards a world free from health-related suffering Today is UHC Day, 2025. The world aspires to fairness when the UN agencies proclaim that access to affordable preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative care…
An Advent Message: UHC Day 2025, Handel’s Messiah, and IAHPC’s work towards a world free from health-related suffering
Today is UHC Day, 2025. The world aspires to fairness when the UN agencies proclaim that access to affordable preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative care is essential to attain Agenda for Sustainable Development’s Target 3.8. Yet this new WHO Report on UHC development in 2025 shows that most people in the world still suffer financial hardship in accessing health services.
katherinepettusconsulting.wordpress.com
Palliative lions This week's Advent visions of the Kingdom, where lions lie down with lambs and eat straw, call to mind our vision of universal palliative care that supports all people suffering with serious illnesses, disabilities, and challenging end of life journeys. The fact that prophets such…
Palliative lions
This week's Advent visions of the Kingdom, where lions lie down with lambs and eat straw, call to mind our vision of universal palliative care that supports all people suffering with serious illnesses, disabilities, and challenging end of life journeys. The fact that prophets such as Isaiah could envision and proclaim such a world, where practices of care for the meekest and most vulnerable among us are the norm rather than the exception as they are now, gestures to the validity of that world.
katherinepettusconsulting.wordpress.com
Calling for a pall-literacy campaign on World Day of the Poor Pope Leo’s Message on 9th World Day of the Poor claimed that “the poor are not recipients of our pastoral care, but creative subjects who challenge us to find novel ways of living out the Gospel today. In the face of new forms of…
Calling for a pall-literacy campaign on World Day of the Poor
Pope Leo’s Message on 9th World Day of the Poor claimed that “the poor are not recipients of our pastoral care, but creative subjects who challenge us to find novel ways of living out the Gospel today. In the face of new forms of impoverishment, we can risk becoming hardened and resigned.” The 86 percent of the world’s people who lack palliative care…
katherinepettusconsulting.wordpress.com
A Prison Hospice Program for the Living and the Dying www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...
A Prison Hospice Program for the Living and the Dying
nytimes.com
Albanian nurse leader Irena Laska, IAHPC delegate to #RC75 @WHO Europe, delivers our statement on #palliativecare inclusion in 2nd European Programme of Work today! Read it here:https://iahpc.org/uploads/2025/10/IAHPC-Statement-on-palliative-care-re-RC75-European-Program-of-Work.pdf
What does meaningful support look like for caregivers of people living with dementia? Join us next Thursday October 30th at 2pm CET for a free webinar hosted by the @IAHPC to explore how WHO's iSupport prorgramme can support caregivers throughout their care journey. Register: lnkd.in/eFJYtPXB
Dr Yukio Nakatani @who.int opening session of CND Thematic Session calls for "safe access to controlled medicines limited in many parts of the world." Says drug control must be rooted in public health & access to controlled meds shld be integrated into national policies supported by whole of govt!
INCB President Professor Atasoy calls out persistent disparities in availability of controlled medicines due to inaccurate estimates of medical needs by member states.Promotes Learning Programme to improve availability for #palliativecare #painrelief #SUD treatment. CND Thematic Session 2025.
Lazarus and the rich man: why palliative care advocacy is so challenging! Today's gospel about Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31) pinpoints why palliative care advocacy is so challenging. The rich man, oblivious to Lazarus languishing on his doorstep, didn’t experience compassion until he…
Lazarus and the rich man: why palliative care advocacy is so challenging!
Today's gospel about Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31) pinpoints why palliative care advocacy is so challenging. The rich man, oblivious to Lazarus languishing on his doorstep, didn’t experience compassion until he himself suffered the torments of hell after death. Only then did he notice Lazarus and beg him to “dip the tip of his finger in water” to cool his tongue.
katherinepettusconsulting.wordpress.com
“A quiet revolution in care-giving is emerging – rooted in compassion, driven by dignity. In a place often associated with suffering, this initiative is sowing seeds of healing, presence, and human connection. www.thetablet.co.uk/features/bor...
Important event at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs October 3. Register for online participation
“Loneliness also imperils the health of the body politic…in The Origins of Totalitarianism, Hannah Arendt characterizes loneliness as “the experience of not belonging to the world at all.” …loneliness leaves us vulnerable to totalitarian power www.commonwealmagazine.org/virtues-soli...
The Virtues of Solitude
Curing loneliness requires more than just socialization. It also requires cultivating spiritually fulfilling solitude.
commonwealmagazine.org
www.linkedin.com/posts/carmen...
Vamos a dar comienzo una nueva edición de nuestro Curso y esta vez en expansión también a personal sanitario de Latinoamérica ‼️os animamos a difundir ‼️@PepaCN @PilarAstier @mlalanda @A_Melendez_G… |...
Vamos a dar comienzo una nueva edición de nuestro Curso y esta vez en expansión también a personal sanitario de Latinoamérica ‼️os animamos a difundir ‼️@PepaCN @PilarAstier @mlalanda @A_Melendez_G @A...
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