Christian World | In a letter from Lourdes, France's Catholic bishops told Catholic hospitals to prepare legally to use their right to refuse to carry out assisted dying

ACW | November 9, 2026 — France's Catholic bishops have urged Catholic hospitals and care institutions to prepare legally so they can refuse to carry out assisted dying, in a letter released Sunday in Lourdes.

The letter was issued at the close of the French bishops' conference autumn plenary assembly in Lourdes, held Nov. 3-8. Addressed to the leaders and staff of "Catholic-inspired health establishments," it opens: "We want to support and encourage you."

The bishops wrote that France's Constitutional Council on Aug. 14 found the "aid in dying" law constitutional but attached three reservations of interpretation. One of them, based on freedom of association, allows an institution not to carry out assisted dying if it conflicts with its statutes or mission, the letter said.

The bishops told institutions to "prepare institutionally and legally" and to update their charters, statutes and internal rules without delay. They cited Belgium, where an institutional opt-out clause was removed from the law in 2020, partly because it had been badly managed, they said.

The bishops' conference is preparing a doctrinal and pastoral document for institution leaders, caregivers, chaplains and pastoral workers, to be published in 2027, the letter said.

Background: France's parliament legalized "aid in dying," covering assisted suicide and euthanasia, in July 2026, and the law takes effect in January 2027, Crux reported. ACW earlier reported Pope Leo's letter to the same assembly in Pope Leo urges French bishops to stand by abuse victims.

Why it matters: According to the bishops, the Constitutional Council's reservation lets Catholic health institutions decline to carry out assisted dying on the basis of their statutes, and the letter asks them to be ready before the law takes effect.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Sources: Conference of French Bishops — Letter to leaders of Catholic-inspired health establishments (Lourdes, Nov. 8, 2026); Crux — French bishops tell Catholic healthcare institutions to prepare to refuse assisted suicide

Photo: Conference of French Bishops (photo: Durand) — group photo of the bishops' plenary assembly in Lourdes, November 2026