Cardinal Vincent Nichols has urged people not to fall for the “great lie” of assisted suicide.
In a homily in Lourdes on Sunday for the annual Day for Life, Cardinal Nichols strongly reiterated the Church’s opposition to the legalisation of assisted suicide, saying that “it is a great lie to try and convince people that life lived with serious illness is not worth living”.
Affirming that every human life has intrinsic value, regardless of health or disability, Cardinal Nichols said: “This is why we oppose those who wish to pass laws assisting suicide, giving people the right to die when they want.”
He added that “the right to die is somebody else’s duty to kill; and we don’t accept that. We both cherish life and we embrace death.”
Cardinal Nichols’s comments came ahead of a debate in the House of Commons, scheduled for September 11, on the second reading of a Bill that would legalise assisted suicide for the terminally ill in Britain.
Earlier this month, Archbishop Peter Smith of Southwark called on Catholics to write to their MPs about
the dangers of legalising assisted suicide.
This private members Bill, introduced by Rob Marris MP, will have a free vote and it is important that people make their views known to their own MP ahead of this extremely important debate,” he said.
Cardinal Nichols compared the Lourdes pilgrimage to “a practice run for our pilgrimage through life.” He said: “We learn that we gain strength when we walk together; we learn to look out for those in need; we learn that we gain more by giving than by taking.”
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