Pope Leo “Very Disappointed” That Pritzker Signed Bill to Legalize Assisted Suicide
Pope Leo XIV expressed deep disappointment Tuesday over Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s decision to sign a bill legalizing assisted suicide.
The pontiff revealed that he had personally pleaded with the fellow Catholic during a Vatican meeting last month to veto the measure that pro-life advocates decry as a grave assault on the sanctity of human life.
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Speaking to reporters aboard his papal plane, the pontiff said he had joined Chicago Archbishop Cardinal Blase Cupich in urging Pritzker to reject the legislation, emphasizing the Church’s unwavering teaching on protecting life from conception to natural death.
“I spoke very explicitly with Governor Pritzker about that,” Pope Leo said, noting that the bill was already on the governor’s desk at the time of their November conversation. “I’m sure also with Cardinal Cupich, but we were very clear to respect the sacredness of life from the beginning to the very end.”
Despite the pope’s appeal, Pritzker, who described himself as “a Catholic from Chicago” after the Vatican visit, proceeded to sign the dangerous bill into law.
“And unfortunately for different reasons he decided to sign that bill,” the pope added. “I’m very disappointed about that.”
Pro-life groups have condemned the new Illinois law, arguing it undermines the inherent dignity of the vulnerable and opens the door to euthanasia practices that contradict fundamental moral principles. The measure allows terminally ill adults to obtain lethal prescriptions, a policy opponents say devalues life at its most fragile stages.
In his remarks, Pope Leo framed the issue within the context of the Christmas season, calling on the faithful to contemplate the Incarnation as a divine affirmation of human life’s sacred worth.
“But I would invite all people especially in these Christmas feast days to reflect upon the nature of human life and goodness of human life,” he said. “God became human like us to show us what it means really, to live a human life.”
The pontiff, himself a son of Illinois who was elected pope after serving as a cardinal in Peru, concluded with a prayerful hope for renewed respect for life.
“And I hope and pray that respect for life will once again grow in all moments of human existence, from conception to natural death,” he said.
The disclosure came in response to a question from Rudolf Gehrig of EWTN News, highlighting the pope’s direct intervention in the matter.
Pritzker’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the pope’s statements.
Illinois becomes the latest state to legalize assisted suicide, joining others like California and Oregon, despite longstanding opposition from the Catholic Church and pro-life organizations that view such laws as incompatible with the defense of innocent life.
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