Dignitas infinita

The Vatican condemns "surrogate motherhood", defined by Pope Francis as a "deplorable" practice that should be "prohibited on a universal level". Pregnancy for others falls within the list of "serious violations" of human dignity contained in the declaration Dignitas Infinita, published by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on 2 April, after the approval of the Pontiff. Signature: Cardinal Prefect Víctor Manuel Fernández, with the secretary for the doctrinal section Monsignor Armando Matteo.

In the document, the Church takes a position "against the practice of surrogate motherhood, through which the child, immensely worthy, becomes a mere object". The words of the Bishop of Rome pronounced in his speech to the diplomatic corps are taken up again: «The path to peace requires respect for life, for every human life, starting from that of the unborn child in the mother's womb, which cannot be suppressed, nor become object of commerce. In this regard, I consider the practice of so-called surrogacy to be deplorable, as it seriously damages the dignity of the woman and her child." For others, gestation «is based on the exploitation of a situation of material need of the mother. A child is always a gift and never the object of a contract. I therefore hope for a commitment from the international community to prohibit this practice on a universal level".

The declaration «Dignitas Infinita regarding human dignity» becomes a pillar and synthesis of the Argentine pontificate. It also denounces «extreme poverty» and the «inequalities scandal, one of the greatest injustices of the contemporary world". And then, war, which «is always a “defeat of humanity”»: today it is «very difficult to support the rational criteria developed in other centuries to talk about a possible “just war”».

There is the "trouble of migrants, considered not worthy enough to participate in social life like anyone else". Human trafficking, «a shame for our societies».

And the no to abortion is reiterated: it is a "particularly serious and deplorable" act, at the same time the "defence of unborn life is intimately linked to the defense of any human right".


NP May 2024
Domenico Agasso