In a Vatican address on Monday, Pope Francis called surrogacy a “deplorable” practice and called for it to be banned worldwide.
“I consider deplorable the practice of so-called surrogacy, which exploits the material needs of the mother and is a gross violation of the dignity of women and children,” the Pope told the ambassadors of 184 counties: He said: It has diplomatic relations with the Vatican.
“Children are always gifts and are never the basis of commercial contracts.”
According to reports CNNthe Pope also hopes that the international community will strive to “prohibit this practice globally.”
“Human life must be preserved and protected at every moment of its existence,” he added.
Not only same-sex couples but also people struggling to conceive have used surrogacy as a means to have children. CBS News I will report.
The Catholic Church has long opposed surrogacy and in vitro fertilization. This is because surrogacy depersonalizes conception and discards some embryos, which the Church considers to be tantamount to abortion.
In Italy and some other countries, surrogacy is illegal. The practice is legal but restricted in the UK, where commercial surrogacy is illegal. On the other hand, surrogacy laws in the United States vary from state to state.
In 2022, Francis claimed that surrogacy was “inhumane” and said that “women, almost all poor, are exploited and children are treated like commodities.”
In addition to surrogacy, Francis also addressed other issues happening around the world, including the ongoing wars in the Gaza Strip and Ukraine, the migration crisis, climate change, arms proliferation, anti-Semitism, persecution of Christians, and artificial intelligence. also mentioned. as a topic.
Regarding the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, the Pope said both wars were examples of peripheral conflicts indiscriminately affecting civilian populations.
“We must not forget that serious violations of international humanitarian law are war crimes,” he said.
Photo credit: ©RNS/AP Photo/Andrew Medichini
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributor to Christian Headlines and host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast dedicated to sound doctrine and Biblical truth. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Alliance Theological Seminary.
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