ROME – Pope Francis on Monday included the “commercialization” of pregnancy in his annual address citing threats to world peace and human dignity, calling for a universal ban on the “despicable” practice of surrogacy. Ta.
In his foreign policy address to ambassadors appointed to the Holy See, Francis said 2024 will usher in a period in history when peace is “increasingly threatened, weakened and partially lost.” I cried as I opened it.
Citing Russia's war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas war, migration, the climate crisis, and the “immoral” production of nuclear and conventional weapons, Francis spoke out about the growing evils that afflict humanity and the violations of international humanitarian law that allow them to continue. He published a long and detailed list. .
But Francisco also listed smaller issues, such as surrogacy, which he said were a threat to peace and human dignity.
Francis said the lives of unborn children must be protected and not “oppressed or trafficked.”
Children are a gift and “never the basis of a commercial contract”, he said, calling for a global ban on surrogacy to “prohibit this practice globally”.
Francis has previously voiced the Catholic Church's opposition to what he calls “womb lending,” which some European countries, including Spain and Italy, have banned.
But at the same time, the Vatican's Secretariat for the Doctrine of the Faith revealed that gay parents who rely on surrogacy can have their children baptized.
In his geopolitical overview, Francis singled out Russia and pointed out that a “massive war waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine” is underway.
This was an unusual break with Francis' habitual tendency to avoid direct public condemnation of Moscow for the invasion when expressing solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
Francis took a more balanced stance, deploring Israel's continuing war in Gaza and condemning the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel and “all instances of terrorism and extremism.”
At the same time, it said the attack had triggered “a strong Israeli military response”, killed thousands of people and created a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
He called for an immediate ceasefire, including in Lebanon, and the release of hostages held in Gaza, and reiterated the Holy See's position calling for a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians and for Jerusalem's internationally guaranteed special status.
In another comment, Francis said:
– Lamented the various humanitarian and refugee crises in Africa and, without naming names, condemned military coups and elections in several African countries characterized by “corruption, intimidation and violence.”
— called for a “respectful diplomatic dialogue” with the Nicaraguan government to resolve what he called a “protracted crisis.” Dozens of priests and bishops have been detained in a government crackdown on the Catholic Church. The government has accused the church of supporting popular protests against the regime, which it labeled an attempted coup.
– Called for restarting Iran nuclear negotiations as soon as possible “to ensure a safer future for all.” The International Atomic Energy Agency said last month that Iran had increased production of near-weapons-grade uranium, reversing an earlier slowdown.
President Francis also said that the “manufacturing” of nuclear weapons is as immoral as the possession and use of nuclear weapons.
Francis has already changed the church's teachings to include the possession of nuclear weapons as unacceptable, but on Monday he also included the production of such weapons as part of an overall critique of the arms industry.
“Perhaps we need to recognize more clearly that civilian casualties are not 'collateral damage'[of war]but men and women with names and surnames who lost their lives,” he said. said. “They are orphans, children whose future has been taken away from them.”
