Indi Gregory: the baby girl died during the night. The parents, “they took her body, not her soul”. The Pope’s prayer

“Indi’s life ended at 1:45 am. Claire and I are angry, heartbroken and ashamed. The NHS and the courts not only took away her chance to live a longer life, but they also took away Indi’s dignity to pass away in the family home”, Dean Gregory, father of Indi, the 8-month-old girl suffering from a rare mitochondrial disease from whom the British justice had decided to remove life support, said in announcing the news of her death. The parents’ words were relayed by the British charity of the pro-life movement Christian Concern, which supported the family in a fierce legal battle to prolong the little girl’s life. “They did succeed in taking Indi’s body and dignity, but they can never take her soul”, Dean Gregory went on to say. “They tried to get rid of Indi without anybody knowing, but we made sure she would be remembered forever. I knew she was special from the day she was born”. The baby girl, who died in the arms of her mother Claire, had been transferred from the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham to a hospice on Saturday, and the ventilation that helped her breathe was taken off there. Indi survived for a few more hours thanks to an oxygen mask. Pope Francis also prayed for her family. “Pope Francis is close to the family of little Indi Gregory, her father and mother, prays for them and for her, and turns his thoughts to all the children around the world, who at this very hour are living in pain or whose lives are at risk because of disease and war”, said the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, on Saturday. The final word on Indi’s sad story came on Friday when three judges from the London's Court of Appeal - Peter Jackson, Eleanor King, and Andrew Moylan - rejected the family’s request that Indi be allowed to die at home. The judges also rejected the Italian Government’s request to transfer Indi to the Bambino Gesù Paediatric Hospital in Rome for new treatment.
Redazione