French bishop: No communion for Catholic lawmakers who supported 'assisted dying' bill

A French bishop’s somber warning that Catholic lawmakers supporting France’s pro-euthanasia bill “will no longer be able to receive Communion” is more than a disciplinary note. It's a grave alarm about a culture that has begun to regard killing as “care” and death as a “right.” 

Key Takeaways:

• Bishop Marc Aillet said that Catholic politicians who are fully in support France's pro-euthanasia bill will no longer be able to receive Communion.

• The bishop warned against the bill's lack of conscience protections for healthcare institutions and individuals.

• The bishop explained that taking one’s own life is objectively against God’s will, and said that a priest’s role is to direct the person toward renewed hope, reconciliation with God, and a dismissal of the desire to end his or her life.

The Details:

In a July 7 interview with France Catholique, Bishop Marc Aillet posited that supporting legislation that permits the intentional ending of a human life is fundamentally incompatible with Catholic teaching and entails serious spiritual repercussions. 

He told France Catholique that a Catholic serving in public office must not disregard the Church’s consistent teaching opposing euthanasia.

“Catholic parliamentarians who have voted for this bill must weigh its consequences. If they are aware of this inconsistency, they will no longer be able to receive communion,” he said, calling on French legislators to undertake a genuine examination of their conscience before making their decision. 

The bishop also pointed out that resistance to euthanasia is grounded not only in religious belief but also in natural law, which underpins respect for every human life. Hence, he contended that a lawmaker who identifies as Catholic while simultaneously endorsing legislation permitting the deliberate ending of a patient’s life “objectively places himself in opposition to a constant teaching of the Church.” 

Addressing allegations that euthanasia is an expression of compassion, Bishop Aillet drew a clear distinction between genuine compassion and what Saint John Paul II portrayed as “false mercy.” He explained that a truly humane society addresses suffering by boosting palliative care and providing psychological, familial, and spiritual support, instead of proposing death as an answer. He denounced the public discourse as being shaped by “an intense media bombardment influenced by powerful lobbies,” which he believes obscure moral judgment. 

When questioned about individuals who seek euthanasia, the bishop reinforced that taking one’s own life is objectively against God’s will, and said that a priest’s role is to direct the person toward renewed hope, reconciliation with God, and a dismissal of the desire to end their life. Concerning the celebration of Christian funerals, he insisted that each situation must be evaluated prudently, taking into account factors such as possible signs of repentance before death, while ensuring that no false picture is given that the Church authorized euthanasia. 

Bishop Aillet encouraged the implementation of robust conscience protection for healthcare professionals and upheld the right of Catholic care institutions to abstain from any involvement, cautioning that, without conscience protections, some Catholic medical establishments could be pushed to shut down or move their operations overseas. 

Zoom Out:

The French Bishops’ Conference has spoken against the proposed legislation from the outset, releasing formal statements after the National Assembly’s initial vote in May 2025, following the second reading in February, and again in May, when it cautioned against “moral imprudence” and a lack of democratic respect in view of the lack of broad political and social agreement. 

Before the June 30 vote, the Church also published a video message addressed to lawmakers, in which Archbishop Vincent Jordy of Tours stated that the perspectives of caregivers, legal experts, and organizations involved in end-of-life care had been “painfully ignored” throughout the political discussions surrounding euthanasia. 

Rejection of the bill extends well beyond religious quarters. The Société française d'accompagnement et de soins palliatifs, alongside other caregiver federations, pushed back against the legislation, stating that palliative care needs to become an authentic, accessible option and that the bill still lacks clarity in its clinical constitution and oversight mechanisms. 

Even in European nations where euthanasia is already legal, such as the Netherlands, some degree of conscience protection remains in place. Presently, no European statute penalizes pro-life institutions to the extent the French proposal would.

The Bottom Line:

Bishop Aillet’s statements contain lessons far beyond French borders. The Vatican has proclaimed that the legal normalization of euthanasia is “a sign of the degradation of legal systems" and that once killing is rebranded as care, conscientious objectors—doctors, nurses, and chaplains—face rising pressure or legal sanctions to conform.

Also, Bishop Aillet’s position reminds us that the Church’s sacramental discipline is meant to protect both the Eucharist from contradiction and sinners from self-deception.