For the third time since becoming president, Emmanuel Macron met on Monday, October 24 with Pope Francis at the Vatican.
On the program of discussions, the war in Ukraine and the end of life.
Regarding the war in Ukraine, the Head of State spoke of the need for “
religious dialogue
” and the “
role
” that the Catholic Church can play.
Emmanuel Macron also asked the Pope
"to call
Vladimir Putin
, the Russian Orthodox Patriarch
Kirill
but also Joe Biden"
to "
foster the peace process
" in Ukraine, he told the weekly
Le Point
at from an interview with the sovereign pontiff.
plea for peace
"
We need the United States to sit around the table to promote the peace process in Ukraine
," continued Emmanuel Macron.
“
However, Joe Biden has a real relationship of trust with the pope.
The pope can influence him for American re-engagement in Haiti and Ukraine
,” he said.
Read also“War in Ukraine: the efforts of Pope Francis”
On Sunday, Emmanuel Macron delivered a plea for peace in Ukraine at an interreligious summit in Rome, while stressing that it could only intervene when the Ukrainians "
decide
" and according to the "
terms
" of Kiev.
Crisis in Haiti
On the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Pope Francis has not stopped condemning the conflict since its outbreak on February 24, while trying to maintain a diplomatic dialogue with Moscow and the Russian Orthodox Church, which is very much aligned with the positions of the Kremlin.
Read alsoHaiti: horror scenes in Cité-Soleil
As for Haiti, the island is in the grip of a multidimensional, security, socio-economic, political, humanitarian and health crisis.
The UN Security Council on Friday approved a battery of sanctions against criminal gangs that are sowing chaos in the country, before the possible dispatch of an armed force.
"I don't like the word 'euthanasia'"
In addition, the French president and the head of the Catholic Church discussed the end of life, a subject on which a debate will open in France and which worries the Vatican.
"
On the subject of the end of life, I spoke to the pope about it on my own initiative, telling him that I did not like the word '
euthanasia
'
", confided the Head of State to Le
Point
, believing that "
death is a moment of life, not a technical act
".
Read alsoThe delicate setting up of the debate on the end of life
The pope spoke out on Friday, October 21 against euthanasia in front of French elected officials, calling on the contrary to “
accompany life until its natural end
”.
The Vatican considers euthanasia a "
crime against human life
" and assisted suicide as a "
grave sin
", those who have decided to resort to it not being able to receive the sacraments.
"Daunting Question"
In September, the National Consultative Ethics Committee ruled that “
active assistance in dying
” could apply in France, but “
under certain strict conditions
”.
A citizens' convention on the end of life will begin its work in December in order to guide the government on a possible change in law.
"
The path proposed by the ethics committee is interesting
," said the Head of State, citing the case of "
people with incurable diseases
" such as Charcot's disease.
Read alsoCitizen's agreement on the end of life: behind the scenes of a delicate organization
Emmanuel Macron, who plans to make the end of life the major societal reform of his second five-year term, assured that he did not want to "
preempt the debate
", which he considered "
sometimes simplified
".
“
Does my death belong to me?
It's a daunting question, I'm not sure I have the answer
,” he told the French weekly.
“
Constitutionally, the end of life is not a subject of referendum
”, he also noted, seeming to favor the parliamentary route for a possible evolution of the legal framework.
