Pope Leo warns France against assisted dying, surrogacy

During his visit to France, Pope Leo XIV warned that science and technology must be guided by ethics and the common good, not profit, citing genetic manipulation, surrogacy, organ trafficking and assisted dying as concerns. He argued that protecting the right to life and human dignity is foundational, and said legal permission does not necessarily make an act morally right. At Lourdes, he urged people to reject assisted death even when framed as compassion and affirmed the dignity of people living with severe pain. He also cautioned that technology and artificial intelligence could diminish humanity without stronger ethical discernment, and called for a form of secularism that leaves room for dialogue between religion and the state.