Melbourne: The Catholic Bishops of Victoria have issued a pastoral letter urging the faithful and the broader community to actively oppose the State Government’s proposed amendments to Victoria’s euthanasia and assisted suicide laws. The bishops warn that the changes would further erode protections for vulnerable patients and compel medical practitioners who object on moral grounds to participate indirectly in the process.
The pastoral letter, released through Melbourne Catholic, calls on citizens to contact their local Members of Parliament ahead of the upcoming debate, emphasizing the moral and ethical dangers of expanding the scope of Victoria’s “Voluntary Assisted Dying” (VAD) Act. The bishops note that the government’s bill “seeks to remove many of the limited protections” currently embedded in the legislation.
“For the first time,” the bishops write, “medical practitioners would be permitted to initiate conversations about euthanasia and assisted suicide with patients who have never asked about it patients who may be at their most vulnerable.”
The bishops also criticized the proposal to force doctors who conscientiously object to euthanasia to provide patients with government-approved information on how to access assisted dying. “Such a move undermines the very principle of conscientious objection and reduces the dignity of both the patient and the practitioner,” the letter asserts.
Citing Pope Francis’ words, the bishops reminded the faithful that true compassion does not lie in ending a life but in sharing the burdens of those who suffer. “Euthanasia is often falsely presented as compassion,” the letter quotes. “Yet compassion involves walking alongside the suffering, not eliminating them.”
The bishops stressed that every human life retains its inherent dignity, even in pain or illness, and that the Church’s moral vision sees suffering as part of the mystery of divine providence. They encouraged Catholics to advocate for the expansion of palliative care, which offers holistic physical, emotional, and spiritual support to those nearing the end of life.
“Rather than promoting death as a solution,” the letter states, “the government should ensure access to high-quality palliative care for all Victorians, particularly those in regional areas.”
Earlier this year, Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli of Melbourne joined leaders from the Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh communities in writing to Members of Parliament and the Department of Health, urging the government to withdraw its proposed changes. The united faith leaders declared that “euthanasia and assisted suicide can never be made safe since they involve acts that are unsafe in their very essence.”
Their joint statement underscored that weakening safeguards would only endanger those most in need of care, particularly the elderly, disabled, and those facing psychological distress.
In their pastoral message, the bishops praised nurses, doctors, and caregivers who dedicate their lives to the dying, calling their service “essential in helping patients realize that they are not isolated or burdensome, but loved and valued in the eyes of God.”
The bishops concluded their appeal with a firm reminder that Members of Parliament will have a conscience vote on the issue allowing them to act according to personal conviction rather than party alignment. “This moment calls for courage and compassion,” they said. “We urge every Catholic, and all people of goodwill, to defend life and dignity at every stage of existence.”
The debate in Victoria’s Parliament is expected to reignite national discussion on end-of-life ethics, medical integrity, and the meaning of compassion in modern society.