Many countries of the world combat surrogacy. And all who want to buy a baby in Europe, unfortunately, go to Ukraine today. The Father and the Head of the Ukrainian Church said this during his sermon to the faithful on the Feast of the Synaxis of the Mother of God and St Joseph the Betrothed (the Feast of the Holy Family).
The preacher noted that today, on the second day of Christmas, Christ’s Church draws our attention to the gift of family. “It was God who created the human marriage. Marriage, family – as a fruitful and indissoluble unity of man and woman – emerged much faster than nations, states or other human communities. That is why we call the family the basic cell of human society,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
“We are now contemplating this Holy Family, in the bosom of which our Savior was born. We thank the Creator that the Blessed Virgin Mary was chosen as Mother for our Savior. We thank Him for the special role of St. Joseph the Bethrothed. For it was he who saw an angel in a dream, explaining what to do. Family is an oasis of protecting the dignity of human life,” explained the preacher.
“Today, we read and listen the word of the Gospel, which says that the Holy Family protected the life of the Divine Child immediately after His birth. Because at the birth of Christ, someone who wanted to take this life appeared …”
At all times and in all peoples, according to the Head of the Church, there are forces that infringe upon the life. In Ukraine, too, such forces are unfortunately not lacking.” In recent years, he said, one of very subtle ways of neglecting motherhood has emerged. “Probably many of you have heard the term ‘surrogate motherhood’ when a woman is forced to start a new life in her womb for money. Forced to trade her motherhood, forced to legally sign a commitment that, in fact, means slavery to this woman. This disaster is being fought all over the world. And, unfortunately, everyone who wants to buy a baby in European countries goes to Ukraine today,” stressed the Head of the UGCC.
“It is hard to imagine the drama of that woman,” he went on, “to give away the child she bore and gave birth to. It is not possible to imagine the drama of a child who is taken away from his mother and sold to another family according to that inhumane contract,” said the Primate.
“The grief of the Ukrainian mother,” says the Head of the Church, “who is forced to trade her motherhood, has not yet been fully realized by our society.” Therefore, today, celebrating Christmas, thanking our God for being born among us, thanking for the gift of the Ukrainian family, let us pray for our women, for our children, let us pray for the Ukrainian family which, always in the most embarrassing moments of the our history, remained the hope for a better future.
“May the new born Savior help us to discover the holiness and dignity of motherhood, the holiness and dignity of the family, help us in our country to do everything so that no hand of any Herod dares to take away the life of the child that God gives to us all today!”
The UGCC Department for Information