Church Denies Funeral for Euthanasia Proponent
Italy's Roman Catholic Church has denied the right to a religious funeral to a terminally ill man whose fight to die sparked a fierce euthanasia debate. Piergiorgio Welby died in Rome on Wednesday when a doctor turned off his life support machine at his request. Church officials said they could not grant the request of the Welby family for a funeral in his local parish. They said Mr Welby had gone against Catholic teaching by expressing a desire to end his life.