In his New Year's address to diplomats at the Vatican, the 87-year-old pontiff expressed his strong stance, stating that surrogacy constitutes a "grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child."
Within a speech primarily focused on urging an end to global conflicts, the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church emphasized the importance of "respect for life" in the pursuit of peace. He explained that this respect begins with "the life of the unborn child in the mother's womb, which cannot be suppressed or turned into an object of trafficking."
Regarding surrogacy, he declared, "I deem deplorable 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."
The Pope firmly emphasized his perspective on children, stating, "A child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract." He expressed his hope for a global effort to universally prohibit this practice.
It's worth noting that in June 2022, Pope Francis had previously condemned surrogacy as an "inhuman" practice. While "altruistic" surrogacy is legal in countries like Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, Canada, Brazil, and Colombia, commercial surrogacy is permitted in certain US states.
