In his “state of the world” address to ambassadors at the Holy See, he emphasized the importance of peace and the safeguarding of human life.

He stated that unborn children should not be “suppressed or turned into an object of trafficking.”

He focused on the exploitation of women in need, stating, “I consider despicable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child.”

Additionally, Francis recently approved a policy change allowing priests to bless same-sex couples. He emphasized that recipients of God’s love and mercy should not undergo “an exhaustive moral analysis.”

CNN reveals that he has been vocal in the Catholic Church’s opposition to what he refers to as an “inhuman and increasingly widespread practice of the ‘rented uterus,’ in which women, almost always poor women, are exploited and children treated as commodities.”

The Daily Mail details that countries like Spain and Italy outright ban the practice, while “altruistic” surrogacy is legal in nations including Belgium, the Netherlands, the U.K., Canada, Brazil, and Colombia. In the United States, the legality of surrogacy differs from state to state.

He highlighted these as major challenges facing humanity, challenging the increasing violations of international humanitarian law.

The New York Times states that he explicitly referred to the conflict as a “large-scale war waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine.” This direct naming of Russia is an unusual move for Francis, who generally avoids assigning public blame to Moscow when expressing support for the Ukrainian people.

In his speech, he criticized the attack by Hamas on Israel “and every instance of terrorism and extremism” and also acknowledged the “strong Israeli military response,” expressing concern about the conflict’s potential to escalate in the Middle East, calling for cease-fires in various regions, including Lebanon.

He remarked, “The events in Ukraine and Gaza are clear proof of this. We must not forget that grave violations of international humanitarian law are war crimes, and that it is not sufficient to point them out, but also necessary to prevent them.”

He expressed concern about new life becoming “subject to a commercial contract.”

He called for the international community to uphold and enforce humanitarian law as a means to protect human dignity in times of conflict, as reported by CNN.