In support with the New York State Catholic Conference’s
“Statement on NYS Senate Passage of State-Sanctioned Suicide Bill”
It is with great sadness that we have learned that both the State Assembly and the New York State Senate have passed legislation approving Physician-Assisted Suicide. Once again, a majority of members of New York State’s legislators have failed to recognize and to protect God’s precious gift of life.
The precious life of the new-born child is the same precious life of the old and the frail, the weak and the suffering, the ill and the infirm, the distraught and the sorrowful. As we care for the child so must we care for all persons in the vast spectrum of human life. When we subjectively determine when life begins and ends, when it is viable or not, or when it is too burdensome to endure, we begin a path toward self-destruction. Life is no longer precious, but just another commodity in the business of living. Relativism becomes the absolute, and even the value of life itself is questioned.
The value of persons who are gravely ill and/or at the end of their lives is currently being questioned and their very lives threatened by this growing movement in our society to end life prematurely. Now both bodies of the New York State Legislature have approved the bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide for patients diagnosed with a terminal illness. This legislation asks those in the medical profession, a vocation dedicated to the service of life, to assist in the termination of the very lives they have pledged to heal and to comfort at life’s most critical moments.
Dr. Michael Brescia, former Executive Medical Director of Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, a specialty hospital serving advanced cancer patients, was described as a “palliative care and hospice trailblazer.” Dr. Brescia had noted that with groundbreaking advances in pain medicine, “the physical aspects of pain can be managed effectively for all patients. [W]e have found that with attention, affection and high quality care, we can prevent patients from saying they want to die” (http://noassistedsuicideny.org/in-state-resources/ see Calvary Hospital, Bronx, New York). Indeed, we must not abandon our terminally ill sisters and brothers. Dr. Brescia died on April 19, 2023, at home surrounded by his family.
The rejection of physician-assisted suicide is not solely a Catholic position; rather it is a human rights imperative. The Catholic Church is the defender of life in concert with physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals; in union with these same people, we seek to protect people with physical and mental disabilities, those in life-threatening situations, and those who have no one to speak on their behalf, from being
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viewed as burdens to society when they are our sisters and brothers in the human family. What is needed is support for and the further exploration of healthcare measures that will effectively relieve suffering, so that the terminally ill might know and feel the love, concern, compassion and care of a society that protects them and cherishes them. This, in itself, eases the greatest pain, which attacks the heart when people feel no one cares!
The Catholic Church, united with persons of other faiths and people of good will, does care, especially for those who are the weakest among us! And our concern is not irrational. It is a very reasonable and noble concern, which appreciates the worth of the human person in his or her most difficult moments of life. In 2011, the United States Bishops stated: “Respect for life does not demand that we attempt to prolong life by using medical treatments that are ineffective or unduly burdensome. Nor does it mean we should deprive suffering patients of needed pain medications out of a misplaced or exaggerated fear that they might have the side effect of shortening life” (“To Live Each Day With Dignity: A Statement on Physician-Assisted Suicide,” USCCB, July 2011, p. 10, http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/assisted-suicide/to-live-each-day). The New York State Bishops, in their 2011 “Catholic Guide to End-of-Life Decision-Making, Now and at the Hour of Our Death,” noted that “out of deep respect for the gift of life, we must always accept, and others must provide, ordinary medical means of preserving life. Ordinary means are those that offer us a reasonable hope of benefit and would not entail excessive burden on us, our family, or the community” (p. 3, http://www.nyscatholic.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/End-of-Life-booklet-final.pdf). But intentional euthanasia, the willful and conscious act of putting to death those who are sick, are disabled, or are dying, is morally unacceptable and a tragic offense against life!
I strongly urge Governor Hochul to veto this legalization of physician-assisted suicide, for it will inevitably put tremendous pressure on our most vulnerable citizens to end their lives. As the New York State Task Force on Life and the Law cautioned many years ago (1994), in an era of health care rationing and cost-cutting, assisted suicide could easily rise to the level of the most acceptable, inexpensive, and even expected “treatment” for terminal illness. Indeed, the rapid push for passing this euthanasia legislation is evidence that this day has sadly arrived in our State. We owe our brothers and sisters in the human family so much more.
Far more than a political issue, this is a moral issue, which is beyond the competency of government, any government, assuming to create legislation inconsistent with the intent of the Creator, bound to His creation made in His image and likeness. I pray that reason will prevail and be guided by an even greater Wisdom. Shakespeare said it well many years ago: “There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, rough hew them how we may” (Hamlet, V .ii). Indeed, there is One greater than ourselves and He said, “I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10).
Debtor in Possession
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Statement Regarding Physician-Assisted Suicide
The Most Reverend Salvatore R. Matano
Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester
June 10, 2025

It is with great joy that the Diocese of Rochester joins with the Universal Church in pledging our heartfelt prayers, support and fidelity to our newly elected Holy Father, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, the 266th successor to Saint Peter and the 267th Vicar of Christ on earth. United to the See of Peter by the bonds of faith and charity, we offer to our Holy Father our filial devotion in continuing the mission of the Church entrusted to her by her founder Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of the Church. Certainly, it is an extraordinary moment for the church in the United States as a native son, inspired by the life of Saint Augustine and of the order bearing his name, now occupies the Chair of Peter.
Guided by the wisdom and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the College of Cardinals, representing the universality and multicultural richness of the Church, have elected still another Holy Father in the image of the Good Shepherd, whose Vicar he now is and to whom the mandate is again given to confirm and strengthen his brothers and sisters in the faith (cf. Luke 22:32). Once more we are at the Sea of Tiberias and the words Jesus addressed to the first Pope, Saint Peter, are now addressed to His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, “Feed my sheep” (cf. John 21:17).
As I have previously mentioned, how blessed many of us have been to live during the pontificates of such outstanding popes: Saint John XXIII, who embraced the whole world in his universal call for renewing the faith in Christ; Saint Paul VI, who gave his life to the Church with an undivided heart and never faltered under or feared the weight of the
cross; Blessed John Paul I, whose humble and gentle manner in a time so brief revealed the
heart of the Good Shepherd; Saint John Paul II, whose charisma and dynamic personality
captured the hearts of believers and non-believers alike; Pope Benedict XVI, the scholar,
the theologian, the teacher, but above all that holy man who helped us in clear and simple
terms to understand the mystery of God, the mystery which enveloped his life in his
intimate communion with the Lord; and Pope Francis, the apostle of mercy, the messenger
of hope, the shepherd who sought out that lost sheep, the one who united his heart to the
heart of Christ.
Now, His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, begins his pontificate supported by the legacy
of these good and holy, Christ-like pontiffs, who preceded him; he now takes his place as
successor to Saint Peter and Vicar of Christ. We now pray for him at every celebration of
the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, asking the Lord to make him a beacon of faith, hope and
charity, carrying the message of Christ’s peace to all people.
As we continue to experience the joy of this Easter Season celebrating Christ’s
glorious Resurrection, we now rejoice that the courage, hope and enduring presence of
Christ emanating from that empty tomb, which would inspire those first Apostles to
proclaim the truth of Christ throughout the world under Peter’s leadership, now continues
in this unbroken link of apostolic succession in our newly elected Pontiff. With one voice
we cry out, “Alleluia!” “Habemus Papam!” “We have a Pope!”
I will offer a Mass of Thanksgiving on Sunday, May 11, 2025, at the 11:15 a.m.
Mass at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Rochester. A Diocesan Solemn Mass of
Thanksgiving upon the Installation of Pope Leo XIV will be offered at the Cathedral of the
Sacred Heart.
The Statement of The Most Reverend Salvatore R. Matano, Bishop of Rochester, upon the Election of His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV
May 8, 2025

Lenten Guidelines of Fasting and Abstinence
(Dispensation Granted for Saint Patrick’s Day, Friday, March 17, 2023)

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for
every Catholic bound according to age and health. In addition, Fridays during Lent are
obligatory days of abstinence from meat.

For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory
from age 18 until age 59. The norms on abstinence from meat are binding upon the
faithful from the age of 14 and onward as long as one’s health permits this practice. These
Lenten practices unite us to our Savior, Jesus Christ, who through His sacrificial death
upon the cross wrought our salvation. They also unite us to the plight of our many
brothers and sisters who endure suffering, persecution and poverty.

Lent also calls to mind those who have gone before us and who have been
outstanding in the proclamation of the faith. On Friday, March 17, 2023, we celebrate the
Commemoration of Saint Patrick’s Day. In accordance with canon 87, §1 of the Code of
Canon Law, and noting the many commemorations of the saint that will occur on that day,
I hereby grant a dispensation from abstinence to all the faithful of the Diocese of
Rochester.

While granting this dispensation, I encourage the faithful to observe the abstinence
from meat on another day during that week. Also, attending Holy Mass on Saint Patrick’s
Day truly would honor the memory and work of this great apostolic saint of the Church.
Therefore, parish celebrations honoring Saint Patrick should rightly include the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass, as the Eucharistic sacrifice is “the summit toward which the activity
of the Church is directed, it is also the fount from which all her power flows.”
(Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 10; cf. Lumen Gentium, no. 11).

The Solemnity of Saint Joseph, ordinarily observed on March 19™, has been
transferred to March 20™ this year since March 19″ falls on the Fourth Sunday of Lent. No
dispensations in this regard are needed.

I wish everyone a very blessed Saint Patrick’s Day and Saint Joseph’s Day!

Given at the aula of the chancery of the Diocese of Rochester on the sixth day of
February in the year of Our Lord two thousand and twenty-three.

The Most Reverend Salvatore R. Matano
Bishop of Rochester

The Reverend Father Daniel J. Condon
Chancellor

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Statement of The Most Reverend Salvatore R. Matano
Bishop of Rochester
Upon the death of His Holiness, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
December 31, 2022
Vigil of the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God

Today’s announcement that Our Holy Father Emeritus, Benedict XVI, has died,
causes great sadness in our hearts as we have truly come to know, love and admire deeply
this Successor to Saint Peter for the guidance that this Vicar of Christ gave not only to
Catholics but to all people of good will. We unite with our Holy Father, Pope Francis,
and the entire Church Universal and all people of faith in mourning the death of Pope
Emeritus Benedict XVI.

In his resignation from the Chair of Peter on February 28, 2013, Benedict XVI
again demonstrated his extraordinary love for the Church and her cornerstone, Jesus
Christ. Placing the proclamation of the Gospel and the salvation of souls above all else,
His Holiness accepted in humility that his age and health did not permit him to fulfill the
duties of his office as he would wish. Therefore, Our Holy Father Emeritus, humbly
acknowledging that his health had deteriorated, asked that his successor soon be elected
in solemn conclave in order to provide for the spiritual and pastoral needs of God’s
people.

Yet, the profound humility that shone forth in the announcement of Benedict XVI
made him even stronger and more powerful by his personal act of faith. He had carved
out a place in our hearts and there he shall ever remain. In living a life of solitude these
last several years, he continued to pray fervently for us and for his successor, Pope
Francis. At the time of his resignation, Benedict XVI said, in his own words, that he
would continue devotedly to “serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life
dedicated to prayer.”

Over these years, Benedict XVI, no doubt, had contemplated his departure from
this life and was well prepared to meet the Eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ, whom he
served with an undivided heart and whose face he longed to see. We now accompany our
Holy Father Emeritus as he crosses over the threshold of this earthly life into that place
the Lord has prepared for him from the beginning of time. Like the first pope, Saint
Peter, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI had answered again and again the question that Jesus
addressed to Simon Peter by the Sea of Tiberias: “Simon, Son of John, do you love me
more than these others?” with the words, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you!” (John
21:15-17).

On this day, while there is sadness in our hearts, we do in faith rejoice with
grateful hearts that this Successor to Saint Peter now comes into the presence of the
Eternal Father to live forever in His presence. The Roman Catholic Diocese of
Rochester, in union with our Holy Father, Pope Francis, and the Universal Church and all
people who know and cherish goodness, gives thanks to God for the life of His Holiness,
Pope Benedict XVI, and for his burning desire and Petrine tenacity to serve Christ’s
Bride, the Church, and her Founder, Christ the Lord, in charity and in faith, with little
concern for the glory of this world, but rather fixing his eyes upon the glory of eternity!
We will continue to be inspired by his teachings so brilliantly presented by one who
spent his entire life in pursuit of the Truth according to his motto, “Cooperatores
Veritatis,” “Cooperators of the Truth,”

We also continue to pray for His Holiness, Pope Francis, who shared that special
bond with Benedict XVI as brothers in the Petrine Office. May the Lord sustain Pope
Francis as he continues to serve the People of God with love, fidelity and devotion to Our
Lord, Jesus Christ.

On a more personal note, approximately one hour after the announcement of the
election of Pope Benedict XVI to the Chair of Peter on April 19, 2005, I entered the Co-
Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Burlington, Vermont, to be ordained a Bishop. I spoke of
this memorable occasion at my first visit with His Holiness in September 2005. It is a
moment that I will never forget as he seemed genuinely pleased that we shared such
joyous occasions on the same day.

! ask all our parishes, schools and diocesan agencies to join in prayer for the
repose of the soul of Benedict XVI with special Masses and including his name in all the
prayers of the faithful during this time of mourning. | will offer a Solemn Mass for our
deceased Holy Father Emeritus on Wednesday, January 4, 2023, at 7:00 p.m., at the
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Rochester. | pray that all our parishes, schools and
diocesan agencies will be represented at this Solemn Mass.

Begging the intercession of Our Mother, Mary, whose Solemnity we are soon to
celebrate honoring her as the Mother of God, we commend the soul of Benedict XVI to
the mercy of God. May his noble soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through
the mercy of God rest in peace.

Given from the aula of the Chancery Offices of the Diocese of Rochester on this
thirty-first day of December, in the Year of Our Lord two thousand and twenty-two, and
to which I herewith affix my signature and place upon it the seal of the Diocese of
Rochester.

The Most Reverend Salvatore R. Matano
Bishop of Rochester