Article from: Agence France-Presse

POPE Benedict XVI today rejected euthanasia as a "false" answer to suffering, saying those in pain should instead be helped to confront it.

"Euthanasia is a false response to the drama of suffering, a solution unworthy of man," the pontiff said to applause in Saint Peter's Square, following his regular Angelus blessing.

"The real response cannot be to give death, no matter how gentle, but to testify to love to help confront pain and agony," he said.

Benedict also backed the Italian Catholic Church's opposition to halting life support to a 38-year-old woman who has been in a coma for 17 years.

Benedict didn't mention Eluana Englaro by name, but it was clear he was referring to her case, which has made headlines in Italy for months.

Ms Englaro has been in a vegetative state since 1992 after a car accident.

Her father won a 10-year court battle in November with a ruling that allowed doctors to remove her feeding tube, but Milan regional authorities had already barred area hospitals from halting life support.

Last Tuesday, however, a Milan appeals court overruled the order.

Ms Englaro is currently at a Catholic hospital near Milan where nurses have refused to co-operate in ending her life.