Pope Leo XIV tells sick in Lourdes: medicine must not serve planned death

Pope Leo XIV told sick pilgrims and medical staff at the Accueil Notre-Dame in Lourdes that medicine must never serve as an instrument for planned death. During his visit on September 27, the Pope addressed people with disabilities, medical workers, and volunteers, urging them to protect human dignity and ensure that suffering is never used as a reason to end a life.

Addressing those facing vulnerability, the Pope told the sick they are not a burden but are the heart of humanity. He stated that human dignity cannot be measured or debated and warned against the temptation to take lives under the guise of false compassion.

During his remarks, the Pope also noted that what is legal is not necessarily moral, asserting that no human law should cause people to lose certainty in their dignity. He argued that it is impossible to consider ending a life as a normal act.

The Accueil Notre-Dame, which opened in 1997, provides lodging and assistance to elderly and sick pilgrims visiting the sanctuary. The center is operated by approximately 50 employees, consecrated persons, and hundreds of volunteers from the Hospitalité Notre-Dame association.