Pope Leo XIV Reaffirms Church Rejection of Abortion, Euthanasia, Surrogacy

Pope Leo XIV, the Peruvian-born American pontiff Robert Prevost, strongly reaffirmed the Catholic Church's rejection of abortion, euthanasia, and surrogacy during his New Year address to the diplomatic corps at the Vatican on Friday. Speaking in the Aula delle Benedizioni after closing his first consistory of cardinals and the 2025 Jubilee Year, he addressed an audience that included Andorra's ambassador, Carles Álvarez.

The Pope voiced profound concern over initiatives funding cross-border travel for what he termed a "safe abortion right," declaring the Vatican "categorically rejects any practice that denies or exploits the origin of life and its development." He described as deplorable the use of public funds to end pregnancies rather than aiding mothers and families, emphasizing the need to protect unborn children and provide concrete support for women choosing motherhood.

Leo XIV denounced surrogacy for turning gestation into a commercial service, exploiting women's bodies, treating children as products, and undermining the family's core relational structure based on the exclusive union of man and woman. He extended protections to vulnerable groups—the elderly, the ill, those with addictions, and the isolated—advocating palliative care and true solidarity over euthanasia, which he called false compassion.

On conscientious objection, he portrayed it as loyalty to deeply held moral principles, allowing healthcare workers to decline participation in abortions or euthanasia. Even self-proclaimed democratic states, he warned, are eroding this right, while a free society must protect diverse consciences to counter authoritarian tendencies.

The pontiff tied family marginalization to rising fragility, domestic violence, and dramatic birth rate declines, especially in low-fertility nations. Internationally, he condemned civilian involvement in military actions and destruction of hospitals, energy facilities, homes, and vital infrastructure as serious breaches of humanitarian law, urging states to uphold these norms above strategic aims.

Andorran reactions emerged swiftly. The government expressed surprise at the Pope's firm tone but insisted dialogue must continue after two years of negotiations seeking women's rights advances without jeopardizing the co-principality. Opposition parties diverged: Concórdia regretted a "lost window of opportunity" under prior Bishop Joan Enric Vives, criticizing government delays; the Social Democrats called it a "total shutdown," questioning church influence and floating unilateral decriminalization, even if risking the co-principality; Andorra Endavant noted the stance aligns with longstanding Church doctrine.

Local media highlighted implications for Andorra's stalled abortion decriminalization—advanced under Pope Francis but now frozen—and surrogacy rules enacted without the episcopal co-prince's signature. Bishop co-prince Josep-Lluís Serrano Pentinat had echoed pro-life appeals in November.

Reflecting on the Jubilee, which attracted millions amid Pope Francis's death and funeral, Leo XIV thanked Italian authorities and security forces. Invoking St Augustine on historical distortions, excessive nationalism, and flawed leadership, he echoed Francis's idea of a "change of era" and mentioned upcoming visits to Turkey and Lebanon.