From St. Peter's Square, Leo XIV responded to the ongoing political debate in France surrounding the end-of-life law. During his general audience on June 4, 2025, in comments after his address to language groups, the head of the Catholic Church called for the defense of “the intrinsic dignity of every human person.”
“Our world struggles to find value in human life, even in its final hour,” the Pope lamented in his greetings to French speakers during his messages in various languages after the catechesis.
These words, translated by an interpreter, come at a time when a bill on "end-of-life care," opening up the possibility of “assisted dying,” was passed on first reading in the National Assembly on May 27. The text is now expected to be examined by the Senate in the fall.
Leo XIV expressed his hope “that the Spirit of the Lord may enlighten our minds, so that we may know how to defend the intrinsic dignity of every human person.”
Earlier in his catechesis, the Pontiff had said that “even when it seems we are able to do little in life, it is always worthwhile.”
“There is always the possibility to find meaning, because God loves our life,” he insisted.
In a statement released after the vote, the bishops of France said they were “deeply concerned about the consequences for French society and the alarming prospects to which a ‘right to die’ would expose the most vulnerable French people in particular.”
Reiterating their “full support” for the Claeys-Leonetti law of 2016 currently in force, they called for the implementation of palliative care.
Legislation years in the making
The end-of-life initiatives currently in the French Parliament started to take shape after a “citizen’s convention” in France in early 2023. In March of that year, the body submitted their recommendations to the French government. A majority of its members had voted to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide. They also voted to strengthen palliative care.
The final document was intended to serve as the basis for the bill proposed in March of 2024 by President Emmanuel Macron, to the immediate objection of the French episcopate. That bill stalled after a crisis in the French government in June of that year, when Macron called for new legislative elections.
After being taken up again in 2025, the bill was split into two: palliative care on the one hand, and “end-of-life” (euthanasia and assisted suicide) on the other. On May 27, both bills passed the lower house (the National Assembly). From here, the bills pass to the Senate for discussion and voting. Only after both houses agree on a bill will the President of the Republic promulgate the Act of Parliament.
