The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Pope Leo XIV took advantage of his August 28 audience with a delegation of politicians from the Diocese of Créteil, France, to reaffirm the principles of the Church’s sound doctrine, unchanged over time. Pope Leo XIV’s speech, extraordinarily beautiful, is disarmingly clear. He acknowledges the difficulties Christian politicians face in a de-Christianized, now pagan world, but emphasizes that they are sustained by the virtue of charity that has indwelt them since baptism. It is a gift from God, a “force capable of inspiring new ways to address the problems of today’s world and of profoundly renewing from within structures, social organizations, and legal systems.”

Therefore, politicians are called to “profoundly renew from within structures, social organizations, and legal systems.” No shortcuts, rushes, or creative legal choices are needed, since we Christians are called to charity in truth.

And indeed he continues, “In this perspective, charity becomes social and political charity: social charity makes us love the common good and effectively seek the good of all people” (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, n. 207; originally linked to the Italian; here’s the English). Therefore, while encouraging Christians in the political arena to work with confidence in seeking the common good, the good of the whole person and of all people, since “they are better prepared [by virtue of faith] to face the challenges of today’s world,” he nevertheless warns them that this can only happen “to the extent that they live and bear witness to the faith at work within them, their personal relationship with Christ who enlightens them and gives them this strength.”

Pope Leo XIV reminds Christians that, in every area in which they are called to work in the world, they must live and bear witness to the active faith, the fruit of their relationship with Jesus Christ. Any action separated from this truth would be in vain and would have a negative impact on the well-being and dignity of the person. In this regard, the Pope recalls that Jesus forcefully states: “Apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5). We should not be surprised, then, if the promotion of evangelical values, however valid, but devoid of Christ, their author, is incapable of changing the world. Therefore, Christians, even political Christians, should not delude themselves into thinking they can save what can be saved, much less the “lesser evil,” since they are not called to practice evil, but rather to seek the “possible good.” Essentially, they are called to bear witness to the whole truth, which is Jesus Christ.

And here comes the most touching part of the speech because, in answering Monsignor Blanchet’s request for practical advice on how to move in the political arena, Pope Leo XIV says:

The first—and only—guideline I would give you is to unite yourselves ever more closely to Jesus, to live by him and bear witness to him. There is no separation in the personality of a public figure: there is not the politician on one side and the Christian on the other. But there is the politician who, under the gaze of God and his conscience, lives out his commitments and responsibilities in a Christian manner!

You are therefore called to strengthen yourselves in faith, to deepen your understanding of the doctrine—particularly the social doctrine—that Jesus taught the world, and to put it into practice in the exercise of your functions and in the drafting of laws. Its foundations are essentially in harmony with human nature, the natural law that everyone can recognize, even non-Christians, even non-believers. Therefore, you must not be afraid to propose and defend it with conviction: it is a doctrine of salvation that aims at the good of every human being, at the building of peaceful, harmonious, prosperous, and reconciled societies.

I am well aware that the openly Christian commitment of a public official is not easy, especially in certain Western societies where Christ and his Church are marginalized, often ignored, sometimes ridiculed. I am also aware of the pressures, party directives, and “ideological colonizations”—to borrow a fitting expression from Pope Francis—to which politicians are subjected. They must have courage: the courage to say at times, “No, I can’t!” when the truth is at stake. Here too, only union with Jesus—Jesus crucified!—will give you the courage to suffer in his name. He said to his disciples: “In the world you will have tribulation, but take heart; I have overcome the world!” (Jn 16:33).

The final paragraph of Pope Leo XIV’s speech, of great value, can be summed up in a simple but effective sentence: “They must have courage: the courage to say at times ‘no, I can’t!’ when the truth is at stake.”

As I mentioned at the beginning, the Pope’s words come at a crucial moment in Italian political life, on the eve of September’s parliamentary debate on bills regarding end-of-life care, namely assisted suicide. The minority parliamentary bill presents more permissive regulations for assisted suicide than the majority’s, supported by Catholics who are defined as advocates of the “lesser evil” (see here) or proponents of creative theological interpretations.

For those who may have forgotten, it should be remembered that the Catholic Church does not promote the idea of ​​choosing the “lesser evil” as a general rule of moral behavior. According to doctrine, an intrinsically evil action (that is, wrong by its very nature, such as abortion, assisted suicide, euthanasia, or lying) can never be justified, even if it appears to be the “lesser evil” in a specific situation.

Conversely, the idea of ​​”preserving the possible good” aligns better with the Catholic approach, which calls for always choosing the moral good in every situation, even when the perfect good is not immediately attainable. Catholic doctrine urges promoting the common good and making choices that reflect human dignity and evangelical principles, even in difficult contexts. This concept is found in documents such as Vatican II’s Gaudium et spes, which emphasizes the responsibility of Christians to work for the good of society, even gradually, without compromising themselves with sin.

While addressing French politicians and without any reference to the Italian case, the Pope reminds every Christian — including Italian politicians in this delicate historical moment — of a fundamental concept that is both a compass and an ideal horizon for life: personal consistency. The actions of Catholic politicians must always be rooted in the Gospel. “Do not be afraid,” he said, “to propose and defend with conviction the social doctrine of the Church: it is a doctrine of salvation, which aims at the good of every human being.”

I hope that the Catholic politicians who support the assisted suicide bill, and the Catholic laypeople who support them in this regard, will heed the clear words of Pope Leo XIV and back down. Finally, I hope that even those prelates, including high-ranking prelates who, albeit with ambiguous language, support this controversial bill, reflect on the words of Pope Leo XIV and act accordingly.