This month marks the one-year anniversary of the declaration of the Dignitas Infinitaspublished on April 8, 2024. This document gathers the prophetic words of the Holy Father to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See on January 8, 2024: "I consider deplorable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which gravely offends the dignity of the woman and the child; and is based on the exploitation of the mother's situation of material need. A child is always a gift and never the object of a contract. I therefore call on the international community to commit itself to a universal ban on this practice.".
A few days prior to the speech, the Pope Francis’ had received a letter from Olivia MaurelFrench-American feminist, 33 years old, born in France, was born for surrogacy. It was a deeply personal missive, in which she shared her story and invited the Pontiff to support the cause of the universal abolition of surrogate motherhood, promoted by the Casablanca Declarationof which Olivia is a spokesperson.
I had the immense privilege of accompanying Olivia, along with her husband Matthias, Sofia Maruri and Vincenzo Bassi, promoters of the Congress on the universal abolition of the surrogate motherhood The meeting, which was held in Rome in those days, was an unforgettable private audience.
Francis listened to Olivia Olivia is an atheist, yet she wanted to share her concerns with him. The Pope expressed his support and encouraged her to move forward, reminding her of the importance of good humor, an ally that, as he himself said, does not always accompany us in the hard battles to protect human dignity.
The Pope's call has a prophetic character: it points to a possible horizon, like so many other challenges that humanity has had to face throughout its history. It is not a simple task, but some fruits are already beginning to be seen.
A few days after the meeting with the Holy Father, the European Parliament recognized the exploitation in the surrogate motherhood as a form of human trafficking.
Months later, Italy passed a new law that criminalizes the practice of surrogate motherhood even when performed abroad.
The year 2025 will also be marked by the report to be presented by Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, focusing on the human rights violations that occur in the surrogacy market.
