Zurich. The New Apostolic Church has endorsed the medical view that brain death is synonymous with the death of the person it affects.

Among other things, the agenda of the District Apostle Meeting in Singapore on 4 February 2005 also addressed the issue of "Brain death / Heart death". The medical profession defines brain death as the complete and irreversible functional failure of the brain and brainstem. It is equated with the death of the person in question. The New Apostolic Church has now endorsed this assess-ment.

However, the Church has declined to make any statement as to the exact point in time at which body and soul are separated.

You can read the New Apostolic Church's announcement on "Brain death / Heart death" here - it is available in both English, German and French.

A conceptual model approved at the District Apostle Meeting will first introduce this topic to the ministers of the Church. At the beginning of 2006, a more detailed article on the subject will appear in the Church magazine "Our Family".