Orthodox priest from Toronto speaks out against euthanasia law
A priest in Canada has urged the prime minister to halt the expansion of the euthanasia program to people with mental disorders.
On May 4, 2026, Father Pavlos Tadros, rector of St. Silouan the Athonite Church in Toronto, sent a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney calling for the cancellation of the planned expansion of the national euthanasia law, MAiD, OrthoChristian reports.
The priest expressed grave concern over government plans to allow voluntary death for patients whose sole medical condition is mental illness.
In his appeal, Father Pavlos referred to the seven years of experience of the Noble Joseph House parish mission, which helps thousands of people in need and provides medical services to hundreds in the Regent Park area. According to the cleric, a truly compassionate society is measured not by how efficiently it facilitates death, but by how faithfully it accompanies those who suffer.
Father Pavlos stressed that, in patients with mental disorders, the wish to die is often a symptom of the illness itself, while factors such as loneliness, poverty, and lack of proper care deprive them of the ability to give informed consent to the procedure.
He called on the government to reconsider the decision and focus its efforts on strengthening systems of social support that preserve the dignity and well-being of vulnerable citizens.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that doctors in Canada twice offered euthanasia to a Catholic priest.
