BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 25. Pope Leo firmly reiterated the Catholic Church’s opposition to assisted dying initiatives on Friday during his visit to France, two months after the country established a legal right to die for people with incurable illnesses following years of intense debate.
The first US-born pope did not specifically mention France’s new law, which faced strong opposition from Catholic bishops in the country. However, speaking at the Élysée Palace, he criticised what he described as “profit-driven ventures”, including surrogacy and assisted dying laws.
“I firmly reiterate that the protection of the right to life constitutes the indispensable foundation of every other human right,” the pope said in an address to French President Emmanuel Macron and other politicians.
“I am concerned at times by those trends in society that risk turning science and technology into profit-driven ventures promoting genetic manipulation, surrogacy, the trade in human organs or the possibility of arranging one’s own death,” he said.
Surrogacy is banned in France. However, the country’s top court has ruled that children born through surrogacy abroad should be recognised in France as the children of their intended parents.
