(LifeSiteNews) — Bishop Marc Aillet of Bayonne, Lescar and Oloron, France, issued an urgent appeal to Catholics across his diocese — and by extension, all people of good will — to actively oppose the country’s controversial “assisted dying” bill as it heads to a decisive Senate vote next week.

In a statement titled “Thou shalt not kill” released Wednesday, the bishop urged prayer, fasting, and direct civic engagement to defend what he observes to be the foundational prohibition against killing human beings that remains necessary for civilized society.

Bishop Aillet, a respected traditional voice in the French episcopate known for his emphasis on moral theology, priestly formation, and fidelity to Church teaching, framed the legislation as nothing less than “a major anthropological rupture.”

The bill, which passed the National Assembly on February 25 by a 299-226 margin, seeks to legalize both assisted suicide and euthanasia. It now faces public debate in the Senate from May 11 to 13, with a solemn vote scheduled for Wednesday, May 13.

In his letter, Bishop Aillet did not mince words about the grave dangers of this proposal:

Is it still necessary to emphasize the extreme gravity of this bill, which aims to do nothing less than abolish the prohibition against killing — upon which society has always been founded — by legalizing assisted suicide and euthanasia?

He pointed to the inadequacies of palliative care in France, noting that nearly half the population still lacks proper access despite previous laws. The bishop highlighted a crucial reality observed in practice:

Almost all patients who are tempted to request assisted suicide or euthanasia abandon the idea once they are admitted to a palliative care unit capable of supporting and relieving their suffering.

Drawing upon international evidence, Bishop Aillet warned of the slippery slope that occurs when fundamental moral principles are breached with even mere exceptional allowances, noting these are already evident elsewhere:

Under these circumstances, the final adoption of this bill could only encourage the poorest or most vulnerable patients who lack access to palliative care, or so-called ‘eligible’ individuals who fear being a burden on their families, the medical community, or the Social Security budget, to resort to assisted suicide or euthanasia — as is indeed the case in countries (such as Belgium, the Netherlands, or Canada) where these practices have been legal for several years.

The bishop expressed measured hope, citing recent reversals in Scotland and the United Kingdom, and the growing opposition in France’s own legislature. He has personally written to local parliamentarians and now calls on the faithful to do the same:

I urge the faithful of the diocese to do the same by emailing, without delay, the senators who are preparing to examine the text in public session on May 11, 12, and 13, 2026.

We will undoubtedly need to write, at a later stage, to the members of Congress from our district, without hesitating to remind them that they are our representatives and that they will be held accountable for their stance and their vote on this crucial issue of end-of-life care.

Contributing also to Aillet’s hope is the providential timing of the Senate vote on the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. Inspired by the Blessed Virgin’s call, he echoes her invitation to concrete acts of reparation on this day:

The Senate vote on the bill regarding ‘assisted dying’ is officially scheduled for Wednesday, May 13, the feast of Our Lady of Fatima: the Virgin of Fatima’s stirring call to conversion and penance, issued in response to the excesses of the modern world, seems more relevant than ever; I invite the faithful who are able to do so to pray and fast on that day: may the Lord enlighten the consciences of the senators and our elected officials regarding the grave moral and spiritual consequences that would result from the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide in France, the ‘eldest daughter of the Church.’

Ordained to the priesthood in 1982 and raised to the episcopacy in 2008, Bishop Aillet has stood out as a committed defender of Catholic doctrine, the Traditional Latin Mass alongside the ordinary form, and a robust advocate for the Church’s authentic social teaching.

A zealous defender of human life, he criticized the silence of many brother bishops in 2024 amid what many have judged to be a crisis of faith in the Church. He urged his fellow shepherds to speak courageously rather than remain “mute dogs.”