Finland: creation of KATY, Association of Catholic Healthcare Workers, to ensure spiritual care and defence of Church’s teachings

The Association of Catholic Healthcare Workers (KATY) was established in Finland. The news was announced by the Finnish Catholic news agency Fides that also published the “manifesto” of the new association. “In our opinion, the time is ripe for the establishment of a national association”, said the three promoters (Father Raimo Goyarrola and doctors Robert Paul and Miikka Nummenpää). The mission of the association will be “to meet, support, help, and train Catholic healthcare workers”. The first objective set out in the KATY manifesto is to “promote the spiritual development of Christian healthcare workers, so that they can better witness to the Gospel in their work”. Secondly, the association wants to create a network, because “more and more Catholics are working in healthcare: doctors, nurses, carers, social workers, psychotherapists”. KATY will help “support the human, spiritual and religious development of healthcare workers and their bioethical expertise”. The association also intends to “cooperate in the promotion of health, and the integral treatment of patients”. The fifth point concerns the “defence of the Catholic Church’s teachings, especially in the fields of bioethics and healthcare”. The association will support those colleagues “who experience difficulties in exercising their profession for ethical reasons or for reasons related to their Catholic faith”.
Sarah Numico