Gareth O'Callaghan: Reforming Pope Francis resistant to change in area of surrogacy

Why did the pontiff call for a ban on surrogacy, asks Gareth O'Callaghan

Pope Francis called this week for a universal ban on the ‘deplorable practice of so-called surrogate motherhood’. Reaction to his call has been strong. Picture: Andrew Medichini/AP

“Everything changes, nothing is lost” are the words of the poet Ovid. Nothing can stay the same forever. Although it can be a worrying thought, he urges us to find courage in its sentiments. However, the Catholic Church might not agree with him. Judging by Pope Francis’s attack on surrogacy earlier this week, the Church’s hierarchy would appear to be resistant to change, even after all these years.

On Monday, Pope Francis called for a ban on surrogacy, claiming that the practice, which helps individuals and couples to have children, exploits the women who carry them. “I deem deplorable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child, based on the exploitation of situations of the mother’s material needs,” the pontiff said in a speech. Surrogacy turns a child into “an object of trafficking”, he said.