Pope Leo XIV condemned the legalization of medically assisted death as false compassion
during a Sunday Mass before 150,000 people at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France. The American pontiff reaffirmed Catholic teachings on the sanctity of life while continuing his travels through a nation that recently approved an end-of-life bill.
Pope Leo XIV traveled to the French shrine of Lourdes on Sunday, using the trip to address end-of-life legislation that has roiled politics in both France and his native United States. Celebrating Mass on the prairie next to Lourdes’ main basilica before a crowd of 150,000 attendees—many of them in wheelchairs—the pontiff delivered a direct critique of assisted dying laws.
Leo characterized the practice as immoral false compassion
and argued that human beings possess an inherent dignity that transcends law or algorithms. On the contrary, it is precisely in the name of this inalienable dignity of the human person that we must reject the temptation to cause death under the guise of false compassion,
Leo told the applauding crowd, adding that What is legal is not necessarily moral.
Catholic doctrine strictly maintains that life must be defended from conception until natural death, placing the church in firm opposition to abortion, euthanasia, and medically assisted dying.
Political Debates in France and the United States
The papal visit coincides with intense legislative battles over end-of-life care and reproductive rights in both European and North American jurisdictions. France’s National Assembly enshrined abortion as a constitutional right in 2024 and recently gave final approval to an end-of-life measure allowing adults suffering from incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication. Meanwhile, Leo’s home state of Illinois became the 13th U.S. state to implement a medical-aid-in-dying law on September 12, drawing specific criticism from the pontiff.
The messaging against abortion and assisted dying has been a central theme of Leo’s tour through a country that is historically Catholic but officially secular. His public appearances in France drew massive turnouts, including an estimated 800,000 people who attended an outdoor Mass on Paris’ Place de la Concorde. Following the service at Lourdes, the pope visited a sanctuary care center for sick individuals.
Encounters With Clergy Abuse Survivors at Lourdes
Beyond his public addresses on the sanctity of life, Pope Leo XIV met privately on Sunday with seven survivors of clergy sexual abuse. The Vatican has made such closed-door meetings a regular component of foreign papal journeys, aimed at atoning for the church’s historical failures in protecting children from predator priests.
Survivor Jean-Marie Delbos participated in a subsequent press conference alongside four other attendees, praising the pontiff for listening intently and engaging with the specifics of their cases. I never thought I would have a pope before me,
Delbos said, describing the encounter as extraordinary. Monsignor Pierre-Antoine Bozo, spokesperson for the French bishops’ conference, explained that the small group size was an intentional choice so that we can act and respond more effectively.
The French Catholic Church continues to deal with the fallout from a devastating 2021 independent report estimating that approximately 330,000 children were abused over a 70-year span by roughly 3,000 priests and church workers. Despite criticisms surrounding the study’s methodology, French bishops established an independent compensation system that has recommended payouts exceeding €20-million (US$22.7-million). Meeting with French bishops on Sunday morning, Leo commended their handling of the crisis while acknowledging that the ongoing scandal has severely depressed priestly vocations as the priesthood faces public suspicion.
Controversial Mosaics at the Notre Dame du Rosaire Basilica
Marko Rupnik. Following a media outcry, Francis ordered an ongoing canonical trial in 2024 regarding abuse allegations against the artist, whose mosaics adorn religious basilicas globally.
To protect abuse survivors seeking healing at the sanctuary, Lourdes Bishop Jean-Marc Micas decided in 2025 to cover the façade of the Notre Dame du Rosaire Basilica so visitors would not be forced to view Rupnik’s artwork. On Sunday, Leo drove past the basilica in his popemobile, navigating the entryway where the mosaic panels remain shielded behind mustard-colored curtains secured with plastic ties.
