Bishop Thomas Paprocki on the New Legislation Regarding Physician-Assisted Suicide (Morning Air)

The week’s brightest news for the Church came from Baltimore before anything dark showed up. Bishop Thomas Paprocki joined Morning Air with a hopeful report from the USCCB’s Fall Assembly: a new president and vice president elected, a revised set of ethical directives for Catholic healthcare, a national consecration of the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 2026, and approval for a new Eucharistic Congress in 2029. Even better—an uptick in adult conversions across dioceses nationwide. His own diocese saw its largest group in 15 years. Grace is moving. Then came the shadow. In Illinois, legislators quietly approved an assisted-suicide bill at 2:54 a.m. on Halloween, hiding it inside a Sanitary Food Preparation Act. Bishop Paprocki didn’t mince words: the tactic was “diabolical.” Euphemisms like “End of Life Options” conceal what it really is—physician-assisted suicide. The devil, he noted, “loves deceit” and “darkness.” He warned of a familiar slope: first “compassion,” then pressure on the disabled, then doctors suggesting death, and eventually insurers nudging the elderly away from costly treatment. It’s already happening in Canada. The Church’s teaching remains clear. Suicide violates the Fifth Commandment. Life belongs to God alone. Suffering—never sought, always treated with palliative care—can be united with Christ’s own Passion, echoing the wisdom of St. John Paul II’s Gospel of Life. The Bishop stressed: the answer is never to kill, but to accompany. Even the Chicago Tribune urged the governor to reject the bill, a rare moment of agreement in a polarized culture. Grace is rising. Darkness is real. And the Church refuses to look away. The best way to listen to the Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.