French Bishops voice concern over end-of-life law, weigh legal options

By Jean-Charles Putzolu

Shortly after the law was definitively adopted on Wednesday evening, the Catholic Church in France expressed regret over what it described as a choice that breaks with the country’s long tradition of healthcare, whose mission is to relieve suffering and accompany every person until the natural end of life.

The Bishops recalled that they had participated in discussions throughout the four-year debate, emphasizing the Church’s centuries-long experience in caring for the sick, the dying, and their families. They believe that legislation of this kind will fundamentally alter society’s relationship with vulnerability, old age, disability, and illness.

Nevertheless, they insist that they are not giving up. In their view, the matter is not over, as several significant legal avenues remain open.

Vatican News spoke with Bishop Mathieu Rougé of Nanterre, spokesperson for the French Bishops’ Conference on end-of-life issues.

Bishop Rougé, how does the conscience clause apply to Catholic institutions?

The law, as adopted, provides a conscience clause for physicians. However, it is regrettable that it does not provide one for pharmacists who, in cases of assisted suicide carried out at home, will, willingly or unwillingly, become the place where the lethal substance is stored before it is used. More troubling, however—beyond the legalization of assisted euthanasia itself—is that institutions whose ethical charter or religious identity rejects the practice of euthanasia will nevertheless be required to allow it to take place within their facilities. This is not simply a matter of an individual conscience clause, because conscience pertains to persons. Rather, what is needed is an institutional conscience clause—a legal protection for healthcare institutions themselves.

On this issue, the government had given certain assurances to the French episcopate, but so far those assurances have not been fulfilled. There is considerable concern among hospitals and care facilities run by religious congregations or founded by them. I am thinking in particular of the Little Sisters of the Poor, but also the Sisters of Saint Thomas of Villeneuve, who are responsible for numerous Catholic maternity hospitals. There are also institutions such as Jeanne Garnier in Paris. We sincerely hope that in the coming weeks, the various legal appeals will result in the establishment of an institutional exemption, allowing healthcare facilities whose history, mission, or ethical charter rejects intentionally causing death to continue carrying out their work in accordance with their values.

What can the Church in France say today?

On Wednesday, July 15, the French Bishops’ Conference issued a statement signed by its president and two vice presidents expressing both sorrow and deep concern. With legislation of this nature, it is impossible to foresee all of its consequences—whether for human solidarity, life in society, or the gradual expansion of the criteria governing eligibility. Therefore, great vigilance is required. Now the task is to move forward, particularly by safeguarding the real freedom of healthcare institutions, ensuring respect for their ethical charters, and closely supporting all the legal appeals I have mentioned. There are people who live in loneliness, weakness, and vulnerability—people who are isolated and have no one to accompany them. Faced with one of the most fundamental questions of human existence, these individuals may find themselves completely alone when confronting the decision at the end of life: to live or to die.

The Christian response to a law such as this cannot consist merely of moral condemnation. It must also be a call to concrete commitment. That is why, in the statement we published Wednesday evening, as well as in the various public statements made both before and after the vote, we strongly encourage Christians to become even more involved in supporting those who are fragile, lonely, and living in poverty or hardship. It is above all through active fraternity—practical acts of compassion and solidarity—that we will respond to the desire to end one’s life, a desire that sometimes passes through the hearts of people experiencing profound suffering and isolation. Our response is not merely a matter of expressing moral principles. Fundamentally, it is a matter of fraternal commitment. That is the message we want to convey. Regardless of what the law says—for the law is only the law—we hope that Christians in France will become ever more committed to living out genuine fraternity. This, we believe, is what will prevent intentionally caused death from assuming an excessive place in our country.

In two months, France will receive a visit from Pope Leo XIV. What message do you hope he will bring on this issue?

I am certain that the Pope will have important things to say on many subjects, including this one. He has spoken very forcefully in recent months, both in Rome and in Spain. In recent days I have often quoted a particularly powerful passage from Magnifica humanitas, in which he states that the first of all rights—the right to life, without which it is impossible to exercise any other right—must be protected from conception to its natural end, and that when this fundamental right is denied, including through euthanasia, we are faced with choices the Church considers gravely wrong. I also think of the Holy See’s 2020 declaration, Samaritanus bonus, which remains an important document on this subject. For these reasons, I am convinced that the Pope will speak clearly, both to Christians—encouraging them to deepen their commitment to those living in situations of fragility—and to our society as a whole. Naturally, we would have preferred to welcome him in a more favorable legislative context. Nevertheless, on this issue, as on so many others, his words will be extremely valuable to us, and we await them with great anticipation.

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