Pope Francis Denounces Controversial Practice Of Euthanasia As A Sin Against God

The head of the Roman Catholic Church made the remarks on Saturday in an address to the Association of Italian Catholic Doctors. Francis added that it is a “false sense of compassion” to consider euthanasia as an act of dignity. “This is playing with life,” said Pope Francis, adding, “Beware, because this is a sin against the creator, against God the creator.” According to the Pope, euthanasia movement is a symptom of today’s “throw-away” culture, which considers the sick and elderly as useless drains on society. Pope Francis also voiced his opposition to other controversial medical practices such as abortion, in vitro fertilization and embryonic stem cell research. This comes as an Italian campaign group is calling on the government to introduce a right-to-die law in the country. The Euthanasia Law campaign submitted a petition, with some 70,000 signatures, to the Italian parliament in September. The act of euthanasia, when a third party, such as a doctor, intentionally causes the death of a patient, is legal in the European countries of Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Last December, the Belgian Senate also made euthanasia legal for terminally-ill children under certain circumstances.A number of other countries, including Australia, Canada, Switzerland, the US and the UK allow the practice of physician-assisted suicides.