Pope Francis said on Wednesday that the dying need palliative care, not euthanasia or assisted suicide.
The Pope said that this ethical principle is acceptable not only for Christians but for everyone, at his general audience in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall on 9 February.
He expressed gratitude for palliative care, which seeks to improve the quality of life of people suffering from severe illnesses.
“However, we must be careful not to confuse this help with unacceptable drifts towards euthanasia,” he said.
“We must accompany people towards death, but not provoke death or facilitate assisted suicide.”
He went on: “I would point out that the right to care and treatment for all must always be prioritized, so that the weakest, particularly the elderly and the sick, are never discarded. Indeed, life is a right, not death, which must be welcomed, not administered. And this ethical principle applies to everyone, not just Christians or believers.”
The pope remarks came amid growing acceptance of euthanasia and assisted suicide in Western countries, including Australia, Austria, England and Wales, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the United States.