Euthanasia and Family: Francis’ Words

Pope Francis pronounced two important speeches in recent weeks on the themes of marriage, family, and life.

The first was addressed to the participants of the Plenary Assembly of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Pope Francis touched on the fundamental theme of the defense of life, saying a clear “No” to euthanasia. The Pope pointed to “the increasing demand for euthanasia as an ideological affirmation of man’s will to have power over life. In this scenario—he added—it must be reiterated that human life, from conception to its natural end, has a dignity that makes it intangible.”

In the second speech, pronounced at the inauguration of the Judicial Year of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota, the Pope said: “Faith is a light that illuminates not only the present but also the future: marriage and family are the future of the Church and of society. It is, therefore, necessary to promote a state of permanent catechumenate so that the conscience of the baptized is open to the light of the Spirit. The sacramental intention is never the result of automatism, but always of a conscience illuminated by faith, as the result of a combination of the human and the divine. In this sense—he added—spousal union can be said to be true only if the human intention of the spouses is oriented to what Christ and the Church want.”