A former president of the European Council has challenged a Vatican request for a Belgian religious order to stop offering euthanasia in its hospitals. Herman Van Rompuy, former prime minister of Belgium, wrote on Twitter: “The time of Roma locuta, causa finita is long past.” The Latin phrase, which translates as “Rome has spoken, the matter is finished”, is a paraphrase of St Augustine and refers to the ultimate authority of the Pope. The politician posted the tweet after canon law professor Kurt Martens pointed out that Mr Van Rompuy was on the board of trustees for the Brothers of Charity group. The group’s trustees agreed to allow euthanasia in their 15 psychiatric centres across Belgium, despite the practice being strongly condemned by Catholic teaching. Brother René Stockman, the order’s superior general, criticised the trustees’ decision but has little direct authority over the board, which is primarily composed of lay members. Earlier this month, Pope Francis gave his personal approval to a demand for the Brothers of Charity to reverse their decision. Under the order, Brothers who serve on the board of trustees must sign a declaration condemning euthanasia by the end of August or face sanctions under canon law. The group could also face legal action and even expulsion from the Church if it fails to comply. Speaking to the Catholic news site Crux, Brother Stockman said he had “no idea what was [Mr Van Rompuy’s] intention in putting that on Twitter”. The Brothers of Charity group has yet to respond to the Vatican ultimatum, but the former EU president’s tweet suggests a degree of resistance. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes euthanasia and assisted suicide as “murder, gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God”. The Brothers of Charity were founded in Ghent in 1807 by Fr Peter Joseph Triest, whose Cause was opened in 2001. Their charism is to serve the elderly and the mentally ill. The group cares for 5,000 mental health patients a year in Belgium.