The Anglican Church of Canada launched a “liturgy” for clergy to use with those who choose to die by medically-assisted suicide. The rite includes confession and absolution for those intending to take their lives.
The church’s General Synod adopted “Pastoral Liturgies at the Time of Death in Contexts of Medically-Assisted Dying” in June 2026. The liturgy was “Authorised for Trial Use, Evaluation and Feedback.”
Suicide is a sin, opposed always and everywhere by Christians. The prohibition against self-murder is rooted in the truth that humans are made in the image of God, possessing inherent dignity and immeasurable worth. Christians are called to defend, protect and value all human lives – not deliberately end them.
Government-approved suicide sends a strong message to the sick and disabled that their lives don’t matter, they are a drain on their family and friends, and it’s more cost-effective for them to be killed rather than burden a country’s nationalized health care system.
But now, the Anglican Church of Canada has provided clergy with a way to “bless” those committing this sin – rather than encourage them to turn away from the darkness of death.
“Pastoral Liturgies” acknowledges that many “Anglicans hold that MAiD does not offer any moral good, and may indeed be against God’s wishes for humanity.” May?
The resource also notes that assisted suicide brings “concerns about the potentials for abuse of the practice through coercion or in the fragilities of a health care system that is in crisis.”
But then it goes on to state that clergy can provide “pastoral care” and “prayerful presence” for those engaging in assisted suicide, adding:
The resource tries to have it both ways. Some people think this is a sin – but hey, if you’re okay with it, then use our new liturgy!
Canada has been at the forefront of legalizing and promoting “medical assistance in dying” (MAiD) since 2015, when the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that criminalizing assisted suicide somehow violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Assisted suicide was no longer categorized as a homicide.
In 2016, Parliament followed through on the Court’s decision, adopting Bill C-14 “to permit medical practitioners and nurse practitioners to provide medical assistance in dying and to permit pharmacists and other persons to assist in the process.”
Canada Health describes MAiD as “a process that allows someone who is found eligible to be able to receive assistance from a medical practitioner in ending their life.”
The government allows two procedures for MAiD:
Physicians and nurse practitioners help kill their patients who, supposedly, are diagnosed with a “grievous and irremediable medical condition.”
More recently, the federal government approved assisted suicide for those suffering from mental illness. Those “health care” services begin in March 2027.
Health Canada’s “Sixth Annual Report on Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada” reported that doctors helped kill 16,499 people in 2024 – about 5% of the nation’s deaths.
Over the past 10 years, 100,000 Canadians have been killed through MAiD.
Sadly, America is not that far behind. At least 13 states and the District of Columbia allow physician-assisted suicide, where a patient is prescribed drugs and self-administers them.
The Anglican Church of Canada is a dying denomination. In 1967, it had 1.2 million members. Sixty years later, it has only 294,000 members with fewer than 59,000 attendees on a given Sunday.
A 2019 report projected that the church would have “no members, attenders or givers … by approximately 2040.” Providing “pastoral” resources for members to commit suicide is sure to hasten the church’s own demise.
Rather than affirming sin, the church might consider pulling the plug on itself. There is probably a remnant of orthodox believers in the Anglican Church of Canada who oppose this “Pastoral Liturgy.”
But even in giving priests this option, it is clear the church has left biblical teaching to bless and affirm those committing the grievous sin of suicide.
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Related articles and resources:
Aging Loved Ones and Physician-Assisted Suicide
Answers to Common Questions About Physician-Assisted Suicide
Counseling Consultation & Referrals
A Godly Perspective on End-of-Life Decisions
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker Signs ‘Dangerous’ Euthanasia Bill Into Law
Invoking God’s ‘Mercy,’ NY Gov. Kathy Hochul To Sign Assisted-Suicide Bill
The Problem With Ending It All: A Response to Physician-Assisted Suicide
Understanding God’s Plan for the End of Life
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