# French Bishops Direct Catholic Hospitals to Amend Charters to Block Euthanasia Law · Mercy Herald

> With assisted dying set to take effect in January 2027, prelates demand legal safeguards following Belgium's precedent.

Endereço: https://joinmercy.com/journal/en/french-bishops-direct-catholic-hospitals-to-amend-charters-to-block-euthanasia
Atualizado em: 2026-11-12

Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, president of the French Bishops’ Conference, speaks in Metz, France, during Pope Leo XIV’s visit on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Benoit Tessier/AFP via Getty Images [Photo: EWTN News](https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/europe/french-bishops-urge-catholic-hospitals-to-prepare-to-refuse-euthanasia)

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Concluding their autumn plenary assembly in Lourdes, France's Catholic bishops issued direct guidance to managers of healthcare institutions and nursing homes run by the Church. In a letter released on November 8, 2026, the Bishops' Conference of France instructed institutions to update their charters and internal regulations urgently to secure the right to refuse euthanasia before the new legislation takes effect.

The law on so-called aid in dying is scheduled to come into force in January 2027. The National Assembly passed the bill on July 15 after the Senate rejected the text three times. The French government invoked Article 45 of the Constitution to bypass upper house opposition and enact the legislation.

On August 14, the Constitutional Council upheld the law while attaching three interpretive reservations. One of these legal protections recognized the right of healthcare institutions not to provide assisted dying if contrary to their mission or founding statutes. The bishops urged Church healthcare providers to solidify this legal defense without delay.

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