Pope Leo XIV in France to find a secular country at odds with Catholic teaching on life

Pope Leo XIV is set to address the issue of life during his upcoming visit to France, where the nation has legalized abortion and lethal medication for terminally ill individuals. The French National Assembly recently passed a bill allowing adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication, a decision that marks a significant shift in the country's approach to end-of-life care.

This change has come amid growing legalization of assisted dying in Europe and the Americas, though Britain recently rejected a similar bill.

The Pope's message will be a stark contrast to France's secular stance, which separates church and state and emphasizes secularism in public life. Despite this, the Catholic Church maintains that life must be defended from conception until natural death, and that those in vegetative states should receive ordinary care while extraordinary care may be suspended if it is only prolonging a painful existence.

Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, president of the bishops’ conference, expects Pope Leo to emphasize the importance of protecting human life and dignity, particularly in light of recent events. "We already know that the question of life and respect for life — not only from an ethical standpoint, but in many ways — is at the heart of the pope’s message and aligns very closely with the message of the Gospel."

Pope Leo's visit comes amid a trend of adult baptisms in France, with over 13,000 adults baptized in 2024, more than triple the number in 2016. While this resurgence in faith is noteworthy, experts caution that it does not counteract the overall trend of children of practicing French Catholics no longer attending Mass or baptizing their babies.