Pope's visit to France: Leo XIV reaffirms his opposition to assisted dying in Lourdes

The debate on the end of life once again at the heart of a speech by the Pope. During a speech in front of the Accueil Notre-Dame establishment in Lourdes, on the afternoon of Sunday, September 27, Leo XIV considered that it was "impossible to consider it normal to take one's life." “What is legal is not necessarily moral,” declared the sovereign pontiff, while Parliament voted for a text on assisted dying.

A new XXL mass. During a giant open-air mass in Lourdes (Hautes-Pyrénées) on Sunday morning, the pope called for “peace” and “dialogue”. Around 200,000 people gathered in front of the sanctuary to listen to the pope.

A closed-door meeting with victims. At the end of the day, Sunday, Leo XIV will meet behind closed doors with seven victims of sexual violence in the Church. “Everyone participates in this meeting in their own name, free to speak, their beliefs and their choices,” warned the victims in a press release.

“No human law should make you lose the certainty of your dignity.” Leo XIV reaffirms his opposition to the law on the end of life. “It is in the name of this inalienable dignity that the temptation to inflict death in the form of false compassion must be firmly rejected.”

“What is legal is not necessarily moral,” adds the Pope, before appealing to the community of caregivers, whose vocation is “to watch over the suffering person and not to suppress them.”

“At a time when certain societies tend to look away and turn a blind eye to human dignity, it is urgent to maintain, among ourselves and others, a contemplative outlook.” Leo XIV speaks before the sick in Lourdes for a speech "on life" where he once again refers to the debates on the end of life. “Here [in Lourdes], fragility is not hidden. It becomes the place of a sacred encounter.”

“The human person is worthy by the simple fact that he exists (...) his dignity cannot be measured and cannot be discussed.”

“All clergy are not aggressors, but there are 4 to 6%,” Yolande du Fayet de la Tour recalls, with great emotion, on franceinfo. “This means that we are sitting at the table of our attackers,” she adds.

“In recent years, you have faced with determination the painful scourge of abuse of minors committed by members of the clergy or in the ecclesial context.” We have the details of the remarks made by the Pope this morning before the bishops. “You have taken courageous steps to respond to them, through listening, the search for truth, justice, forgiveness, reparation and a determined commitment to a culture of prevention and protection against these crimes,” said Leo XIV, according to the Vatican.

“It is appropriate to continue on the path started while maintaining the greatest vigilance. At the same time, your clergy needs to be supported and encouraged; I know that they are the subject of your paternal concern.”