Pope Leo XIV in France condemns medically assisted dying — Global News Canada

Pope Leo XIV, during a Mass in Lourdes, France, condemned legislative permission for medically assisted dying, calling it false compassion. This was reported by Global News Canada.

The pontiff spoke against the backdrop of France adopting legislation that allows adults with incurable illnesses to obtain drugs to end their lives. Leo XIV said that human dignity, including that of those living with severe pain, cannot be eliminated by either a law or an algorithm.

According to the pope, the inherent dignity of the human person requires rejecting the temptation to cause death under the guise of false compassion. He also stressed that the legality of a particular action does not necessarily mean it is moral.

Mass in Lourdes

About 150,000 people attended the Mass on a lawn near Lourdes' main basilica, including many people in wheelchairs. After the service, Leo XIV visited a care center for the sick on the grounds of the sanctuary. In his homily, he said that crutches, wheelchairs and hidden tears are not obstacles to respecting and accepting a person.

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Lourdes, located near the border with Spain, is one of the main Catholic pilgrimage centers. The Catholic Church has recognized 72 healings associated with the site as authentic. The pontiff arrived there from Paris on Saturday evening, prayed at the Grotto of the Apparitions and drank water from the spring.

Meeting with survivors of abuse

In Lourdes, Leo XIV was also to meet with seven people who survived sexual abuse by clergy, including one person who was abused as an adult. An independent 2021 report estimated that over 70 years in France, about 330,000 children were abused by approximately 3,000 priests and church workers.

French bishops created an independent compensation system, which recommended paying more than €20 million to survivors. During a meeting with bishops, Leo XIV spoke favorably of their response to victims' appeals and called for this work to continue.

During the visit, the pope also drove past the Basilica of Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire in Lourdes, whose facade was covered by curtains. The mosaics on the facade were created by priest Marko Rupnik, who is facing a Vatican trial over accusations by more than two dozen women of psychological, spiritual and sexual abuse. Canonical court proceedings in his case are ongoing.