Nick Donnelly@ProtecttheFaith
New President of the Pontifical Academy for Life has expressed support for assisted suicide
Msgr. Renzo Pegoraro supports assisted suicide, as the lesser of two evils, in order to prevent the greater evil of voluntary euthanasia
In 2022 Msgr. Pegoraro was quoted as supporting assisted suicide in the National Catholic Register:
"We are in a specific context, with a choice to be made between two options, neither of which — assisted suicide or euthanasia — represents the Catholic position" Msgr. Pegoraro told the French Catholic newspaper Le Croix, adding that he believed some kind of law was a foregone conclusion. Msgr. Pegoraro, who is also a physician, said that, of the two possibilities, 'assisted suicide is the one that most restricts abuses because it would be accompanied by four strict conditions: the person asking for help must be conscious and able to express it freely, have an irreversible illness, experience unbearable suffering and depend on life-sustaining treatment such as a respirator."
A bioethicist who upholds Evangelium Vitae would argue that both euthanasia and assisted suicide are totally immoral and a rejection of God’s sovereignty. But Pegoraro doesn’t do this. The lesser of two evils approach is Consequentialism, which is totally rejected by Pope John Paul II in Veritatis Splendor.
https://t.co/JsREcfB5Kg ;https://ncregister.com/news/pontifical-academy-for-life-members-support-for-assisted-suicide-draws-criticism
However, Pope John Paul II’s Evangelium Vitae strongly opposes assisted suicide, viewing it as morally wrong and a violation of human life’s sanctity.
Assisted suicide is condemned as a “crime which no human law can claim to legitimize,” alongside murder, genocide, abortion, and wilful self-destruction. This sets the tone for its moral unacceptability, viewing it as an attack against human life. (para 3)
Concurring in a suicidal act or helping another to commit suicide” is “morally unacceptable.” It is described as “cooperating in an injustice” and is never excusable, even if requested by the person seeking assistance. (EV 65 & 66)
Assisted suicide involves the malice of either suicide or murder, depending on the circumstances, and is a rejection of God’s sovereignty over life and death.
Evangelium Vitae teaches that assisted suicide is morally wrong and absolutely unacceptable, equating it with euthanasia as a grave offense against the sanctity of human life. It rejects assisted suicide as part of a “culture of death,” driven by cultural shifts that devalue suffering and prioritize autonomy over God’s sovereignty. The encyclical calls for a “culture of life” that affirms the dignity of every human being, advocating for palliative care and conscientious objection by health-care professionals.