‘Grave offences’: Pope Francis condemns abortion, surrogacy

Pope Francis has denounced 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, the head of the Catholic Church 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.