Pope Leo XIV has publicly voiced his profound disappointment regarding Illinois’ recently enacted legislation permitting medically assisted suicide. Speaking to journalists outside his Castel Gandolfo residence near Rome on Tuesday, the pontiff revealed he had engaged in explicit discussions with Governor JB Pritzker, urging him to veto the controversial measure.
The religious leader, who spent his formative years in Chicago, emphasized the Catholic Church’s fundamental teaching regarding the sanctity of life from conception to natural death. Despite personal appeals from both the Pope and Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich, Governor Pritzker proceeded with signing the legislation on December 12.
Known as ‘Deb’s Law’ in honor of advocate Deb Robertson—a terminal illness patient who championed the legislation—the measure provides Illinois residents with terminal conditions the autonomy to determine their end-of-life decisions. Governor Pritzker, representing the Democratic Party, acknowledged being emotionally moved by testimonies from patients experiencing unbearable suffering.
Illinois now joins eleven other states and the District of Columbia in legalizing medically assisted suicide, with Delaware’s legislation scheduled to take effect in January 2026. Seven additional states are currently considering similar measures.
The state’s six Catholic dioceses collectively condemned the governor’s decision, warning that Illinois has embarked on a ‘dangerous and heartbreaking path.’ Pope Leo XIV concluded his remarks with a Christmas-season appeal for broader societal reflection on human life’s inherent value, referencing the Christian doctrine of divine incarnation as the ultimate affirmation of life’s sacredness.