The Pope calls for banning surrogacy due to “grave violation of the mother and child”

Pope Francis called for a universal ban on the practice of surrogacy and opposed the "commercialization" of pregnancy.

The Independent writes about it.

In an address to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, the pontiff named problems that have a detrimental effect on humanity. One of them is surrogate motherhood. He declared that surrogacy was a "grave violation of the mother and child" and called on the international community to ban the practice.

"I consider despicable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child, based on the exploitation of situations of the mother’s material needs. A child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract," noted the Pope.

In his address, Pope Francis also mentioned the war in Ukraine, the war between Israel and Hamas, migration, climate crises, and the production of conventional and nuclear weapons. In addition, during the speech, the Pope accused Russia of waging a full-scale war against Ukraine, although he previously avoided direct accusations of Moscow.

"Unfortunately, after almost two years of the Russian Federationʼs large-scale war against Ukraine, such a longed-for peace has still not found its place in minds and hearts, despite the numerous victims and enormous destruction," the Pope stated.

• A few months ago, the Pope declared that he was ready for the Catholic Church to bless same-sex couples. He believes that the church should always approach its relations with people with "kindness, patience, understanding, tenderness and support."
• In March 2021, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the Vatican recognized the "presence of positive elements" in same-sex relationships, but they will not be the object of the Churchʼs blessing. In 2020 , the Pope advocated the legalization of same-sex marriage: "Homosexuals have the right to families. They are children of God. No one should be exiled or miserable because of it. We must create a law on civil unions."
• In December 2023, the Vatican allowed same-sex couples to be blessed, but will not perform weddings or any other marriage ceremonies for them.