POPE CALLS FOR GLOBAL BAN ON “DESPICABLE” PRACTICE OF SURROGACY

Mon 08 January 2024:

Pope Francis called Monday for a global ban on surrogacy, calling the practice “deplorable.”

“A child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract. Consequently, I express my hope for an effort by the international community to prohibit this practice universally,” he told ambassadors accredited to the Holy See.

“At every moment of its existence, human life must be preserved and defended; yet I note with regret, especially in the West, the continued spread of a culture of death, which in the name of a false compassion discards children, the elderly and the sick,” he continued in his denunciation of surrogacy.

The 87-year-old pontiff spoke about recent conflicts and crises, calling for peace during an audience with foreign ambassadors, when he also touched the topic of surrogacy.

“The path to peace calls for respect for human rights, in accordance with the simple yet clear formulation contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, whose 75th anniversary we recently celebrated,” the pope said.

The pontiff also described the so-called gender theory as dangerous, which erases differences between people, he said.

Surrogacy involves a woman carrying a child to term for others and handing it to them after birth. Surrogacy in Germany, as in many other countries, is prohibited. Even mediation is a criminal offence in Germany.

In some countries, however, surrogacy is sometimes permitted with certain restrictions.

In Italy, where surrogacy has been banned for years, the issue has emerged recently as the conservative government of Premier Giorgia Meloni has opposed registering both parents of children born via surrogacy overseas.

Francis was more balanced in his lament of Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, condemning Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel “and every instance of terrorism and extremism.” At the same time, he said the attack provoked a “strong Israeli military response” that had left thousands dead and created a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

He called for an immediate cease-fire, including in Lebanon, and the liberation of hostages held in Gaza, and reiterated the Holy See’s position seeking a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians and an internationally guaranteed special status for Jerusalem.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

______________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

WhatsApp CHANNEL
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22