Pope to transplant center: 'Keep the good of the patient as your guiding principle'

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Always keep the good of the patient as your guiding principle, suggested Pope Leo XIV on Thursday in the Vatican when meeting with participants in a meeting organized by Italy's National Transplant Center.

The Pope said he was pleased to welcome them on the occasion of the General Assembly of the National Transplant Network, noting their presence bears witness to the commitment of many healthcare workers, professionals, and volunteers who, with competence and dedication, serve human life in its most fragile moments.

He recalled that they are commemorating 70 years since the first organ donation in Italy took place, "when Blessed Don Carlo Gnocchi asked that his corneas be removed after his death and transplanted to two very young beneficiaries of his work, who were thus able to see again."

That gesture, the Pope observed, carried out in a context still lacking comprehensive legislation, sparked broad reflection in Italian society and helped initiate a path toward legal definition.

Just a few weeks after Don Gnocchi’s gesture, Pope Pius XII, Pope Leo remembered, offered an initial moral orientation on these issues, recognizing the legitimacy of organ removal for therapeutic purposes, with respect for the dignity of the human body and the rights of those involved.

Church's tradition on the issue

Therefore, from the outset, the Pope said, the Church’s reflection has accompanied the development of transplant medicine, recognizing its value while also indicating the necessary ethical criteria.

Since then, he recalled, a rich development of scientific research and human dedication has led the Italian Transplant Network to achieve results of great importance, recognized internationally, noting that behind these results lies a wealth of expertise, as well as a culture of responsibility and trust that must be preserved and supported.

Saint John Paul II, in the Encyclical Evangelium vitae, Pope Leo noted, recalled that among the actions that foster a culture of life, “organ donation performed in an ethically acceptable manner deserves special appreciation.” Indeed, he added, it is an act that unites the generosity of giving with the moral responsibility that accompanies it.

The Holy Father reaffirmed that the Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms that “organ donation after death is a noble and meritorious act and is to be encouraged as an expression of generous solidarity,” while also recalling the need for consent and respect for the dignity of the person.

Constant vigilance and just and transparent criteria

"Constant vigilance," Pope Leo said, "is required to avoid any form of commercialization of the human body and to ensure that transplantation is governed by just and transparent criteria."

He emphasized that transplant medicine reminds us that the relationship of care, trust, and mutual responsibility is an essential condition for transplantation to take place. "Indeed, the very possibility of saving lives through transplantation," he also observed, "depends on the generosity of donors."

The Pope recalled that the late Pope Francis had emphasized that donation is not limited to its social usefulness, important as that is, but takes shape as an expression of universal fraternity, and also reiterated that it must remain a gratuitous act, capable of bearing witness to a culture of help, giving, hope, and life.

Pope Leo called this a "particularly valuable reminder" in a time when everything risks being evaluated according to the logic of price, efficiency, or self-interest.

The Pope likewise took the opportunity to encourage scientific research, which continues to open important prospects for transplant medicine.

"It is called to develop ever more," the Holy Father said, "effective solutions to meet the demand for organs and the needs of patients, in a context where demand still far exceeds availability. It is essential that this commitment always proceed together with responsible reflection, so that scientific progress remains oriented toward the integral good of the person and respect for his or her dignity."

Keeping the good of the patient as your guiding principle

The Pope expressed his heartfelt gratitude.

"Yours," the Holy Father recognized, "is demanding and often hidden work, requiring competence and rigor, as well as conscience, balance, and a deep sense of humanity."

Acknowledging that their work involves clinical responsibilities, delicate decisions, and relationships that touch people’s lives in their most difficult moments, he urged them to continue to carry out this endeavour with fidelity and dedication, "always keeping the good of the patient as your guiding principle."

Pope Leo XIV concluded by encouraging the institutions and the world of volunteering to continue their work of information and awareness-raising, "so that a culture of donation may grow ever more conscious, free, and shared, capable of recognizing in this act a sign of solidarity, fraternity, and hope."