Pope Francis has certainly kept faithful Catholics and non-believers alike guessing what positions he’ll take on major issues while not shying away from addressing a variety of controversial topics left alone by his predecessors.
The latest topic to prompt him to speak out is euthanasia, which has recently gained wide publicity in the media with right-to-die advocate Brittany Maynard going public with her choice to end her own life to avoid further deterioration of her life due to an incurable brain tumor.
Pope Francis didn’t deviate from the Catholic Church’s staunch opposition euthanasia, which he called “a false sense of compassion.”
“This is playing with life. Beware, because this is a sin against the creator” the pontiff told a gathering of the Association of Italian Catholic Doctors.
It’s significant that he was talking to doctors, since they literally hold life and death in their hands on a daily basis, and are frequently called upon by individuals seeking to take their own lives rather than continue fighting against terminal illnesses.
He encouraged medical practitioners to stick to “courageous and against the grain” decisions in their work, even if that makes them conscientious objectors.
When 29-year-old Maynard announced that she would die on her own terms under Oregon’s death-with-dignity law, a Vatican bioethicist called the practice “reprehensible,” triggering renewed debate on the issue within the Catholic Church.
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