The Vatican is investigating the decision of a group of psychiatric care centres run by a Catholic religious order in Belgium to permit doctors to perform euthanasia of "nonterminal" mentally ill patients on its premises.
Brother René Stockman, superior general of the Brothers of Charity, told Catholic News Service that Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, is personally examining the situation.
Brother Stockman complained directly to Rome after the Brothers of Charity Group, which runs 15 centres for psychiatric patients across Belgium, rejected a formal request from him to reverse the new policy.
