Pope warns against “the falsely dignified perspective of a gentle death”

A warning on the sidelines of his visit to Marseille. Pope Francis has warned against “the falsely worthy prospect of a gentle death”Saturday September 23, while a bill on the end of life is expected imminently in France.

>> Visit of Pope Francis to Marseille: follow the latest information live

“Who listens to the groans of isolated elderly people who, instead of being valued, are herded into the falsely dignified perspective of a sweet death, in reality saltier than the waters of the sea?”asked the Pope, during a speech at the Pharo Palace.

Presentation of bill delayed

Ahead of the Pope’s visit, some deputies accused Emmanuel Macron of having postponed the presentation of the bill on the end of life, which appears as a red flag for the Catholic Church which refuses the principle of euthanasia, so as not to interfere with this papal trip.

The text, initially announced “by the end of summer” by Emmanuel Macron, must be the subject of a “significant progress by the end of September”assured Olivier Véran, the government spokesperson, in mid-September. Refuting any delay linked to the visit of Pope Francis, the latter assured that “the presentation of the text adapts to the finalization of the elements of the text”.