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Pope Francis at the audience at the Vatican

Photo: Vatican Media / ipa-agency.net / IMAGO / Independent Photo Agency Int.

Pope Francis has condemned surrogacy as reprehensible and called for a global ban. "A child is always a gift and never an object of contract. I therefore call for the international community to work towards a global ban on this practice."

This was said by the head of the Catholic Church during an audience at the Vatican in front of accredited ambassadors. Surrogacy violates the dignity of the woman and the child.

Surrogacy prohibited in Germany

In surrogacy, a woman carries a child to term for so-called intended parents and leaves it to them after birth. There are many reasons for this.

In Germany, as in many other countries, surrogacy is prohibited. Mediation is also a criminal offence in Germany. In some countries, on the other hand, surrogacy is allowed with certain restrictions. Intended parents therefore go abroad for this purpose.

During the audience with foreign ambassadors, the 87-year-old pontiff spoke about current crises and called for peace with a view to wars and conflicts. He talked about surrogacy.

"The path of peace requires respect for life, for every human life, beginning with that of the unborn child in the womb, which must not be eliminated or made an object of commercialization," Francis said.

Francis Calls Gender Theory Dangerous

Back in June 2022, Francis had described surrogacy as an "inhumane" practice.

He castigated a culture of death that was spreading in the West and segregating children, the elderly, and the sick in the name of feigned compassion. The Pope also described the so-called gender theory as dangerous, which erases differences between people.

In some countries, such as Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil and Colombia, so-called altruistic surrogacy, in which a woman gives birth to a baby on behalf of another woman or couple without pay, is legal or at least tolerated.

Commercial surrogacy is allowed in some U.S. states.

kub/dpa/AFP