Execution time2024-01-08 21:38
Surrogate birth ‘regretted’ in New Year’s speech to the Vatican’s diplomatic corps
Call for conflict resolution and peace around the world, including in Ukraine and Gaza… Emphasis on disarmament
Pope Francis’ New Year’s Address
(Vatican Reuters = Yonhap News) Pope Francis gives a New Year speech to the Vatican diplomatic corps at the Vatican on the 8th (local time). 2024.01.08 llun@yna.co.kr
(Vatican = Yonhap News) Reporter Shin Chang-yong = Pope Francis said on the 8th (local time) that the act of a woman giving birth to another person’s baby is “deplorable,” and called for a worldwide ban on surrogacy.
In his New Year’s address to the Vatican’s diplomatic corps held in the Vatican on this day, the Pope said, “The path to peace begins with protecting the life of the fetus in the mother’s womb. A baby is always a gift and it should never be the object of illegal trade,” he said.
He added, “I deplore the practice of surrogacy, which seriously undermines the dignity of women and babies by exploiting the mother’s material deprivation,” adding, “I hope the international community will ban this practice generally.”
Pope Francis also criticized surrogacy in June 2022, calling it an “inhuman practice.”
Only a few countries around the world allow surrogacy. Some states in the United States, India, Russia, and Ukraine allow ‘commercial surrogacy’ which pays a fee to the surrogate mother.
Countries such as the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, Brazil, and Colombia only allow so-called ‘altruistic surrogacy’, where no money is paid to the surrogate mother or where only a reasonable fee is paid.
In particular, surrogacy is a sensitive issue in Italy, where the Vatican is located. It is illegal to have a baby through surrogacy in Italy, and parliament is debating a bill that would also punish couples who use surrogacy abroad.
If this bill, proposed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s ruling party, Brothers of Italy (FdI), is passed, couples who have babies through foreign surrogates will face at least 3 months to a maximum of 2 years in prison and up to 1 million. Euros (about 1.4 billion won) may be subject to a fine.
Pope Francis’ New Year’s address to the diplomatic corps based in the Vatican
(Vatican Reuters = Yonhap News) Pope Francis gives a New Year speech to the Vatican diplomatic corps at the Vatican on the 8th (local time). 2024.01.08 llun@yna.co.kr
At New Year’s celebrations with the Vatican’s diplomatic corps, including Oh Hyun-joo, South Korea’s ambassador to the Holy See, Pope Francis called for an end to attacks on civilians in conflict areas around the world, including Ukraine and the Belt and Road Gaza in Palestine.
“In modern warfare, the distinction between military and civilian objectives is no longer respected,” the Pope said, adding, “The events in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip are clear evidence of this.”
Pope Francis emphasized the need for disarmament and argued that weapons have no deterrent effect and instead encourage their use.
He asked, “How many lives can we save with today’s misused resources for weapons?” and suggested, “Let’s invest those resources to ensure true global security.”
Pope Francis repeated his call for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages kidnapped by Hamas in an attack on Israel on October 7 last year.
The Pope said, “I appeal once again to the parties involved to call for a ceasefire from all directions, including in Lebanon, and for the immediate release of all hostages in the Gaza Strip,” adding, “The community must support the ‘two-state solution’ where Israel and Palestine coexist and the special international agreement in Jerusalem.” “Hopefully, by firmly pursuing status guarantees, Israelis and Palestinians can finally live in peace and security,” he added.
Every year at the beginning of January, the Pope invites diplomatic envoys from 183 countries that have diplomatic relations with the Vatican to the Vatican to reveal the Vatican’s position on the international situation and diplomatic issues.
Pope Francis and diplomatic envoys to the Holy See
(Vatican Reuters = Yonhap News) Pope Francis takes a commemorative photo after a New Year’s meeting with diplomatic envoys to the Vatican at the Vatican on the 8th (local time). 2024.01.08 llun@yna.co.kr
changyong@yna.co.kr
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