End-of-life issues risk spoiling the Pope’s visit to France

Rome. It was meant to be a journey of reconciliation following years of strained relations between Pope Francis and Emmanuel Macron, which culminated in the Pope’s polite refusal of the invitation to attend the mass and celebrations marking the reopening of Notre-Dame for worship. Instead, the National Assembly’s vote giving the green light to the end-of-life bill casts a significant shadow over Leo XIV’s trip across the Alps, taking in Paris, Lourdes and Metz. The French episcopate is more combative than ever, and as early as Thursday evening – whilst the votes were still being counted in parliament – it issued a lengthy statement signed by the president of the Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, and the two vice-presidents. “This 15 July 2026 marks a serious rupture in the history of our country.”

“By choosing to legalise euthanasia and assisted suicide,” the statement reads, “MPs have enshrined in French law the possibility of causing death. This decision breaks with the long tradition of care, whose purpose is to alleviate suffering and to accompany every person to the natural end of their life.” There is also criticism of Macron, who “had announced a calm, informed and respectful debate, but it is clear that political, ideological and undoubtedly also economic considerations, masked by misleading rhetoric, have prevailed over this ambition. An issue so fundamental to our social contract nevertheless deserved full consideration of the human, medical, ethical and social consequences of euthanasia and assisted suicide”. The bishops announce that the campaign will continue, whilst closely monitoring “the appeals announced to the Constitutional Council”. The aim is to do everything possible to ensure “respect for ethical principles in facilities dedicated to supporting people at the end of life, which exclude the use of euthanasia or assisted suicide”.

The sensitivity of the issue is also demonstrated by the stance taken by the Little Sisters of the Poor, who have been committed since the 19th century to caring for vulnerable elderly people right through to the end: “We would rather die than take a life,” the nuns told La Croix. This sentiment is widespread, and the pressure on Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu – a Catholic whom Macron described as a ‘soldier-monk’ (he had considered becoming a Benedictine monk in his youth) – is intense: accused of having remained silent for months, he has now – following the law’s passage – announced that he will refer the matter to the Constitutional Council to verify whether the measure fully respects ‘the dignity of the person’. In the Pope’s prayer intentions for the month of July, published as ever at the start of the month, Leo had emphasised that “every person is a sacred gift” who reflects the face of God “from the very first moment of their existence until the last breath of their journey on earth”. These are concepts he had, moreover, already referred to a month ago when addressing the Spanish Parliament.

There is a risk that the cordial understanding between the current occupant of the Élysée Palace and the Holy See could falter, and the opportunities to highlight the rift are clearly marked on the calendar for the forthcoming trip to France: the large prayer vigil at the Stade de France on Friday 25 September, and Mass at the Place de la Concorde and on the Champs-Élysées the following day. Not to mention what the Pope might say in Lourdes, where the issue is deeply felt for obvious reasons. Father Andrea Ciucci, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy for Life, told the Vatican media that “brothers cannot take the lives of other brothers. Brotherhood is at the service of life, not of death”.

There seems to be no sign of reconciliation, at least for the time being: the Bishop of Bayonne, Monsignor Marc Aillet, has described “assisted dying” as a “sham”. The aim of the law, he said, is to “legalise assisted suicide and euthanasia, terms which appear neither in the title nor in the body of the text”. In an interview with France Catholique, the bishop added that “public support for a law that is seriously contrary to the Church’s moral teaching poses a real problem of ecclesial coherence. Catholic MPs who voted in favour of this law must consider its consequences. If they are aware of this inconsistency, they will no longer be able to receive Holy Communion. The Church is justified in reminding them of this, as some bishops in the United States have done. I would like to invite them to a sincere examination of conscience.”

As they await the Pope’s arrival, the bishops are making preparations: “Beyond disapproval”, they write in the aforementioned statement, “this resolution of 15 July therefore calls us to a renewed commitment, alongside families, support workers, volunteers, carers, associations and chaplains, to bear witness that another path is possible – that of a faithful presence and attentive support which soothe physical or psychological suffering, without ever abandoning anyone”. The measure was finally approved with 291 votes in favour and 241 against.