Church throws support behind organ donation

ARCHBISHOP Chrysostomos has given cadaver organ donation the church’s full backing.
His support was announced at a memorial service for organ donors on Sunday.

“We are commemorating those people who have donated their organs to save their fellow man and we have prayed that others are found who will imitate this service. With this altruistic act, they have saved lives,” the Archbishop said.

He said the church was in favour of cadaver organ donation when doctors had determined the donor was clinically dead and there was no hope for the patient’s recovery.

The Cyprus Transplant Association said the Archbishop’s statements were an historic moment, as it would help raise public awareness on the issue.

Paraskevaidion Surgical and Transplant Foundation head Dr George Kyriakides told the Cyprus Mail although the church had never officially come out in support of cadaver organ donation, it had never been against it.

“However yesterday was a very clear statement in favour of it,” he said.

“This is something very positive because it will encourage people to offer up their organs.

Previously, they might have thought it was a sin, or something like that. But now people will more easily donate when they know the Archbishop approves of and encourages it.”

The Archbishop’s statement was made one day ahead of Greek Orthodox Church head Archbishop Christodoulos’ liver transplant surgery in the US.

The operation was at a Miami hospital in Florida yesterday and was expected to last for up to 10 hours.

Archbishop Christodoulos, 68, was diagnosed with cancer in June after intestinal surgery and had spent 40 days in an Athens hospital.

He travelled to Miami on August 18 but had to wait until Sunday when a compatible liver donor was found.

Yesterday’s operation was being overseen by D. Andreas Tzakis, director of the University of Miami’s organ transplant institute.
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