The head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis has bemoaned abortion and the bearing of children by surrogate mothers as grave offences against human dignity.
In a declaration of principles published by the Vatican on Monday which was sighted by Africa Today News, New York, the cleric also condemned gender reassignment and gender theory’.
The Pope said gender theory is an offence against what he said was the God-given dignity of human beings.
A human being whether born or not is sacred and inviolable, according to the document.
The termination of a pregnancy means nothing other than denying human dignity to the “most defenceless’’ beings, it added.
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The Vatican’s latest declaration draws a parallel between abortion and surrogacy, when a woman carries a child on behalf of someone else and then gives it to them after the birth.
In this way, the declaration says, a child becomes a “mere object’’ and the dignity of the woman is violated for reasons of profit.
Recall that Pope Francis had a few weeks ago made a special prayer for peace on the African continent even as he sought the exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine in a bid to put an end to the war.
The pope called on the world to resist “the logic of weapons” in his Easter message at the Vatican, easing growing health fears as he greeted thousands of Catholics.
Africa Today News, New York reports that the 87-year-old’s “Urbi et Orbi” (To the City and the World) blessing came after he led Easter Mass in front of 60,000 worshippers at Saint Peter’s Square while appearing in good spirits.
Francis also urged world leaders to “spare no efforts in combating the scourge of human trafficking” to free its victims.