Pope says assisted dying not ‘normal’

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Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowd after leading a mass to celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Basilica of Our Lady of Good Counsel, in Genazzano, near Rome, on September 7, 2026. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

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Pope Leo XIV on Sunday said assisted dying was not “normal”, as he continued a landmark visit to France, where parliament has legalised the practice for certain patients.

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“No human law should ever make you lose the certainty of your dignity,” he told believers who were sick or suffered from disabilities, at the French pilgrimage site of Lourdes.

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“We must reject the temptation to cause death under the guise of false compassion. It is impossible to regard causing death as something normal,” he added.

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“What is legal is not necessarily moral.”

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France’s parliament passed legislation in June establishing a right to assisted dying for some adults suffering from an incurable condition.

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The move drew strong criticism from the Catholic Church in France, which denounced the bill as a serious “rupture”.

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