Pope Leo Denounces ‘False Compassion’ of Assisted Suicide in France

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 800-273-TALK (8255).

During a Sunday visit to healthcare facilities in Lourdes, France, Pope Leo XIV called for an end to medically assisted suicide.

After celebrating Mass in Lourdes, the pope addressed a large crowd. To cheers from those gathered, he forcefully defended the dignity of every human life and urged people to reject what he called the “false compassion” of assisted suicide.

“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,” the pope said in French.

“It is impossible to regard causing death as something normal. What is legal is not necessarily moral,” he said. “Here in Lourdes, the city of the sick and of hope, I appeal to the entire healthcare community to remember the profound meaning of your vocation, which is to care for a suffering person, not to eliminate that person.”

“No one ever has the right based on laboratory algorithms to decide the life of a given embryo or elderly person. Medicine must never become the servant of programmed death,” Pope Leo said.

Medically assisted suicide is permitted in numerous Western nations, including France.

The practice has faced intense scrutiny, especially in Canada, where it has become widely used.

The family of an 83-year-old Canadian woman sought answers last week after she died through the country’s medical assistance in dying program. Relatives alleged that she became distraught after learning the procedure would end her life.

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The Daily Mail reported that Brigitte Stegemann, an 83-year-old Christian grandmother, died under Canada’s physician-assisted suicide system, known as Medical Assistance in Dying, or MAID, on July 10.

Stegemann’s granddaughter, Brigitte Kranendonk, said she served as her primary caregiver. The family ultimately moved Stegemann to The Pearl care home in Cannifton as her physical and mental health deteriorated.

Kranendonk said her grandmother continued to eat well even after being diagnosed with stomach cancer and had rejected MAID when it was initially discussed as an option.

Kranendonk said she attended Stegemann’s second MAID assessment. According to her account, the doctor described the procedure in “really loose terms” and avoided directly using the words “death” or “dying.”

“She explains MAID to my grandmother by saying: ‘We’re going to give you medicine, you’re going to feel at peace. And I just want you to know that you won’t have a bowel movement,’” Kranendonk said.

Kranendonk said she interrupted the doctor, telling her, “She doesn’t understand what you’re saying.” The doctor allegedly then looked at Stegemann and said, “We’re going to make sure you won’t have any more pain.”

The Daily Mail reported that a doctor later determined Stegemann was “deemed fit for MAID, and we’re going to proceed.”

Kranendonk said that two days before Stegemann’s death, she asked her grandmother directly whether she understood that the scheduled procedure meant she would die.

According to Kranendonk’s account to the outlet, Stegemann began crying and said she had “made a mistake.”

Stegemann was allegedly told by the doctor her grandmother could “deny” MAID on the day of the procedure, but Stegemann was already unsure if her grandmother had actually consented to it, did not want to cause her more stress, and wanted to enjoy what could be the last few days she had left with her grandmother.