Pope Leo XIV criticized the legalization of medically assisted dying during a visit to Lourdes, France, calling it “false compassion” and saying that something being legal does not necessarily make it moral. 

Speaking before about 150,000 people, many of them sick or disabled, Leo emphasized that people experiencing severe suffering retain inherent dignity that laws or technology cannot remove. 

His comments came shortly after France approved legislation allowing adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication under specified conditions, following years of political debate over end-of-life care. 

Leo said his opposition reflects Catholic teaching that human life should be protected from conception through natural death, which places the church against abortion, euthanasia and medically assisted dying, CBS News has reported.

During the same Lourdes visit, Leo also met with seven survivors of clergy sexual abuse, who described the meeting as sincere while discussing abuse prevention and the church’s response to victims.