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Pope denounces France assisted-dying law as immoral in Lourdes

By Drooid · Sep 28, 2026, 2:04 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Pope Denounces Assisted Dying

Pope Leo XIV met privately with seven clergy-abuse survivors in Lourdes on Sunday.
He denounced France’s assisted-dying law as immoral in a speech at the Accueil Notre-Dame.
Pope Leo urged French bishops to stay vigilant against the sexual-abuse scourge.
The Vatican estimated about 330,000 children were abused in France between 1950 and 2020.

Summary

Survivors Criticize Exclusion

Survivor groups said the pope’s meeting excluded victim organisations and used Church-selected participants.
Bishop Pierre-Antoine Bozo said only two of seven survivors were proposed by advocacy groups.
French bishops formed the Independent Authority for Supporting Victims, recommending over €20 million compensation.
Survivors urged covering Father Marko Rupnik’s mosaics in Lourdes basilica, saying they burden victims.
Vatican trial of priest Marko Rupnik, with over two dozen women alleging abuse since the 1990s.

History

Historical Context

In 2002 the Boston Globe’s Spotlight series exposed widespread abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston, prompting the US Conference of Catholic Bishops to adopt the Dallas Charter for the Protection of Children. The scandal led the archdiocese to pay an $85 million settlement in 2003 and spurred a zero-tolerance policy that now frames Pope Francis’s calls for transparent safeguards worldwide.

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Pope Denounces Assisted Dying

Pope Leo XIV met privately with seven clergy-abuse survivors in Lourdes on Sunday.
He denounced France’s assisted-dying law as immoral in a speech at the Accueil Notre-Dame.
Pope Leo urged French bishops to stay vigilant against the sexual-abuse scourge.
The Vatican estimated about 330,000 children were abused in France between 1950 and 2020.

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