Assisted suicide and euthanasia can never be a substitute for good palliative care, says Pope Francis

Dying patients need palliative care and not euthanasia or assisted suicide, Pope Francis has said.

At his general audience in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, the Pope said that this ethical principle was valid not only for Christians but for everyone.

He expressed gratitude for palliative care, which seeks to improve the quality of life of people suffering from severe illnesses.

“However, we must be careful not to confuse this help with unacceptable drifts towards euthanasia,” he said.

“We must accompany people towards death, but not provoke death or facilitate assisted suicide.”