January 9, 2026 l Reporter: Johnson
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV delivered a powerful address Friday that sharply criticised abortion, surrogacy and other practices he said undermine human dignity, branding them deceptive or “fake compassion” in what observers describe as one of his most explicit moral pronouncements to date.
Speaking to diplomats and representatives from countries accredited to the Holy See, the pontiff placed the sanctity of life and the central role of the family at the heart of his message, framing his remarks around the theme of human dignity and ethical responsibility. In the nearly annual diplomatic audience effectively a state of the world address by the Vatican Leo said abortion “cuts short a growing life and refuses to welcome the gift of life,” and lamented international efforts that expand access to the procedure.
“The vocation to love and to life… implies a fundamental ethical imperative for enabling families to welcome and fully care for unborn life,” he told gathered envoys. He urged nations to reject policies that treat unborn children as expendable and criticised the allocation of public resources to suppress life rather than to support mothers and families.
Leo’s speech also took aim at surrogacy, which he described as commodifying gestation and violating the dignity of both the child reduced to a “product” and the mother, whose body is exploited through the arrangement. “By transforming gestation into a negotiable service, this violates the dignity both of the child… and of the mother,” he said.
Extending his critique of “deceptive forms of compassion,” the pope condemned euthanasia urging governments and civil society to invest instead in palliative care and authentic solidarity with the sick, elderly and vulnerable.
While condemning these practices, Pope Leo also spoke more broadly about justice, peace and human rights, underscoring the Vatican’s stance that respect for life from conception to natural death remains a cornerstone of Catholic moral teaching, even amid divisions among nations, activists and faith communities worldwide.
The speech signals Pope Leo’s intent to elevate pro-life and pro-family issues at the forefront of his papacy, drawing global attention to debates that continue to divide governments and civil societies.