France Catholique

A French bishop has warned Catholic lawmakers who support assisted suicide legislation should not receive Holy Communion. The intervention was made by Bishop Marc Aillet of Bayonne just days before members of the French National Assembly are expected to vote on the government’s controversial end-of-life bill on 15 July. Speaking to France Catholique on 7 […] A French bishop has warned Catholic lawmakers who support assisted suicide legislation should not receive Holy Communion. The intervention was made by Bishop Marc Aillet of Bayonne just days before members of the French National Assembly are expected to vote on the government’s controversial end-of-life bill on 15 July. Speaking to France Catholique on 7 July, Bishop Aillet argued that support for euthanasia is not simply a matter of differing political judgement but concerns an objective moral principle rooted in both Christian doctrine and natural law. “When a member of parliament declares himself Catholic while supporting legislation that authorises taking a life, he objectively places himself in opposition to a constant teaching of the Church, but also to a fundamental principle of human reason,” Bishop Aillet said. The bishop used Samaritanus Bonus , the 2020 instruction issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to justify his position. The letter states that it is “an intrinsically evil act, whatever the circumstances”. Referring to Catholic politicians serving in public office, Bishop Aillet said: “A Catholic engaged in public life cannot ignore this.” His comments go beyond a reiteration of Church teaching by directly addressing the sacramental implications for Catholic legislators. Asked whether supporting the legislation carried spiritual consequences, Bishop Aillet replied that it did because “the Christian faith engages one’s entire existence”. While stressing the need for every individual to examine his or her conscience, he argued that public support for legislation fundamentally opposed to Catholic moral teaching created “a real problem of ecclesial coherence”. “The Catholic parliamentarians who voted for this bill must weigh the consequences,” the bishop said. “If they are aware of this inconsistency, they will no longer be able to receive Communion.” Bishop Aillet added that “the Church is justified in reminding them of this, as some bishops have done in the United States”, before inviting Catholic lawmakers to undertake “a sincere examination of conscience”. Bishop Aillet also challenged one of the principal arguments advanced by supporters of the legislation: that euthanasia represents an act of compassion towards those enduring profound suffering. “We must distinguish true compassion from what John Paul II called ‘false mercy’,” the bishop said. “A truly fraternal society does not respond to distress by eliminating the suffering individual, but by developing palliative care, psychological, familial and spiritual support.” He further rejected the suggestion that the legislation represented an expansion of personal freedom. “Authentic freedom is ordered toward the good,” Bishop Aillet argued, warning that public understanding of the issue had become distorted by “the dominant discourse that seriously clouds consciences” and “the media onslaught influenced by powerful lobbies”. Bishop Aillet urged Catholics to educate themselves and to offer practical support to those who are sick, elderly or isolated. The bishop also addressed the pastoral challenges posed by requests for euthanasia. While reiterating that suicide remains “objectively contrary to the will of God”, Bishop Aillet emphasised that the Church continues to recognise the complex personal circumstances that may diminish an individual’s freedom, including suffering, loneliness, depression and social pressure. The bishop said priests should accompany those requesting euthanasia by helping them “rediscover hope, reconcile with God, and renounce their plan”, describing authentic pastoral care as encouraging patients “to choose life until its natural end, never condoning a lethal act”. Particular concern was also expressed for healthcare workers who could find themselves required to implement the law should it ultimately be enacted. Bishop Aillet warned that doctors, nurses and other medical professionals entered their vocation to care for patients rather than intentionally end their lives. “My first thought is the moral dilemmas this law risks creating,” Bishop Aillet said. “Healthcare professionals chose their profession to care for, relieve and support patients. Now they would be asked to participate in the killing of a patient.” For that reason, he insisted that “civil law cannot abolish the demands of moral conscience” and argued that robust legal protection for conscientious objection would be essential, regardless of whether healthcare workers were religious believers. Bishop Aillet also questioned whether France wished to force institutions founded upon respect for human life into closure or exile. “Do we want these establishments to close, when they manage tens of thousands of beds?” Bishop Aillet asked. “Do we want them to go into exile abroad, like the religious orders expelled from France at the beginning of the 20th century? Are we going to imprison the nuns who do not comply with this law?” He concluded that “we must defend the freedom of these institutions with determination.” The bishop also reflected on Pope Leo XIV’s forthcoming visit to France, whose chosen motto is “So that the world may have life”. Although acknowledging that the legislation could be approved before the Pope arrives, Bishop Aillet argued that the Church’s witness would remain unchanged regardless of the parliamentary outcome. “Even if a law is passed, it does not end the duty of Christians to bear witness,” he said. “I expect the Holy Father to forcefully reaffirm the inalienable dignity of all human life.” He also expressed the hope that Pope Leo would encourage families, caregivers, volunteers and all those accompanying the sick and elderly, insisting that “the ultimate issue is spiritual”. “A society weakens when it presents death as a solution,” he said, before concluding that Christ came “so that people may have life, and have it to the full”, a hope which “the Church will continue to proclaim, regardless of legislative developments.” This publication has previously reported that Pope Leo XIV is believed to have held a series of direct telephone conversations with President Emmanuel Macron devoted exclusively to the proposed euthanasia and assisted suicide legislation. The proposed legislation has been championed by President Emmanuel Macron’s government under the language of “aid in dying”, with ministers presenting the measure as a compassionate response for adults suffering from incurable illness accompanied by unbearable and untreatable suffering. Opposition has remained. The bill has already encountered significant resistance in the Senate, where a third vote rejected the legislation by a narrow margin before returning it to the National Assembly for what may become its decisive reading.