During his New Year's address at the Vatican, the 87-year-old pontiff, Pope Francis, strongly criticised surrogacy, declaring it a "grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child."
He called for a global ban on the practice, describing it as "deplorable" and emphasising the importance of respecting life as a crucial element in the pursuit of peace. In a speech focused on advocating for an end to global conflicts, the head of the worldwide Catholic Church stated that the path to peace begins with the respect for life, starting with the unborn child in the mother's womb.
Pope Francis expressed deep concern about the exploitation of situations of a mother's material needs in the practice of surrogate motherhood, emphasising that a child should always be viewed as a gift and not as the basis of a commercial contract. He urged the international community to make a universal effort to prohibit this practice.
The Pope had previously condemned surrogacy as "inhuman" in June 2022. While "altruistic" surrogacy, where no money changes hands except for necessary expenses, is legal in various countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, Canada, Brazil, and Colombia, commercial surrogacy is allowed in certain US states.