Archbishop Charles Scicluna has issued a stark warning against the legalisation of voluntary assisted euthanasia, saying that no matter how it is labelled, it ultimately amounts to ending one's own life, with assistance.
"Call it what you will, that's what it is," he said during a homily which celebrated the Mass for the Sixth Sunday of Easter on Sunday.
"We are calling it voluntary assisted euthanasia, but it is about taking your own life, whether it is through a toxic substance or something else, it is still meant to kill you," Scicluna said.
Scicluna was delivering a homily at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Santa Venera, located within the St Michael Hospice building, which is operated by Hospice Malta.
In his homily, the Archbishop made a strong appeal in favour of compassion, dignity, and care for those facing terminal illness, while clearly expressing his position against the introduction of voluntary assisted euthanasia.
He acknowledged the fear and vulnerability a person feels when nearing death, stressing that such moments should be met with empathy and presence, but not with an intentional ending.
Scicluna told listeners that euthanasia can never be considered an act of compassion but is one of the easy solutions the world offers.
"The process of dying will never be a pleasant experience," Scicluna said, inviting everyone to embrace the true peace offered by Christ.
Scicluna also appealed for mutual respect and emphasised that those who proclaim the clear message of Jesus should not be labelled as "extremist or heartless."
He called for a collective commitment to improving palliative care services and praised the work of NGOs like Hospice Malta, which provide palliative care that helps patients live their final moments with dignity, respect, and physical, psychological, and spiritual support.
Scicluna said that currently, palliative care is offered only for limited diagnoses, but praised Hospice as a pioneer in expanding its services beyond cancer.
"What we need is for everyone to have access to palliative care. That the person is supported right up to the moment of their natural death, with physical relief that eases suffering as much as possible," Scicluna said.
He said that after all, the dying process will always involve physical, spiritual, and psychological suffering, and that death is a process which will never be a pleasant experience.
"We are deluding ourselves if we think we'll go through death completely free of anxiety. Even if you end your own life, I imagine there is still a moment of final anxiety, into which the grace of God enters," he said.
Scicluna said he is neither an extremist nor heartless, and if the country truly intends to have an open and heartfelt discussion, then nobody should accuse him of being either extremist or heartless, as he is conveying Jesus' clear message.
St Michael Hospice was inaugurated last January and began providing palliative care services from a Church-owned building previously known as the Adelaide Cini Institute in Santa Venera.
In 2018, the Archdiocese of Malta transferred the building to Hospice Malta so it could continue to serve as a beacon of hope for patients and their families, while upholding the fundamental values of life and human dignity until the final moments.