ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Monday called for a global ban on the “despicable” practice of surrogacy as he included the “commercialization” of pregnancy in an annual speech and listed threats to world peace and human dignity.
In a foreign policy address to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, Francis lamented that the year 2024 had arrived at a time in history in which peace was “increasingly threatened, weakened and partly lost.”
Citing Russia's war in Ukraine, the war between Israel and Hamas, migration, climate crises and the “immoral” production of nuclear and conventional weapons, Francis provided a long list of the ills afflicting humanity and the increasing violation of humanitarian law international law that allows it.
But Francis also listed smaller issues that he said posed a threat to peace and human dignity, including surrogacy. Francis said the life of the unborn child must be protected and not “suppressed or trafficked.”
“I consider the practice of so-called surrogacy to be despicable, which represents a serious violation of the dignity of the woman and the child and is based on the exploitation of the material needs of the mother,” he said.
He said a child is a gift and “never the basis of a commercial contract” and called for a global ban on surrogacy “to ban this practice worldwide”.
Francis has previously voiced the Catholic Church's opposition to what he calls “wombs for rent,” and some European countries, including Spain and Italy, ban it. At the same time, however, the Vatican's Faith Office has made it clear that homosexual parents who resort to surrogacy can have their children baptized.
In his geopolitical overview, Francis singled out Russia by name, noting that “the Russian Federation's large-scale war against Ukraine” was further advanced. It marked an unusual break from Francis' usual tendency to spare Moscow direct, public blame for the invasion as he expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
Francis was more balanced in his lament over Israel's ongoing war in Gaza, condemning Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel “and every case of terrorism and extremism.” At the same time, he said the attack provoked a “strong military response from Israel” that left thousands dead and triggered a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
He called for an immediate ceasefire, including in Lebanon, the release of the hostages held in Gaza and reiterated the Holy See's position to seek a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians as well as an internationally guaranteed special status for Jerusalem.
In other comments from Francis:
– He deplored various humanitarian and refugee crises in Africa and, without naming names, criticized military coups and elections in several African countries that were marked by “corruption, intimidation and violence.”
– He called for a “respectful diplomatic dialogue” with the Nicaraguan government to resolve what he called a “protracted crisis.” The government's crackdown on the Catholic Church has led to the imprisonment of dozens of priests and bishops. The government has accused the church of supporting popular protests against his government, which he viewed as an attempted coup.
– called for nuclear talks with Iran to resume as soon as possible “to ensure a safer future for all.” Last month, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran had increased the rate at which it produces near weapons-grade uranium, reversing an earlier slowdown.
Francis also said that the “production” of nuclear weapons was as immoral as their possession and use. Francis has already changed church teaching to make the possession of nuclear weapons illegal, but on Monday included the production of such weapons in his general criticism of the arms industry.
“Perhaps we need to be clearer that the civilian casualties are not 'collateral damage' (of the war), but men and women with first and last names who lost their lives,” he said. “These are children who are orphans and are being robbed of their future.”