In an 88-page document with ethical guidelines for such transplants, the Vatican confirmed earlier teaching and said the Catholic Church has no objection to such treatments, provided best medical practices are followed and animals are not treated cruelly, HINA reports.
“Catholic theology has no prohibitions, on religious or ritual grounds, for the use of any animal as a source of organs, tissues or cells for human transplantation,” the document states.
The document deals with the issue of xenotransplantation, that is, transplanting organs or tissues from one species to another.
The Vatican first approved such procedures in 2001, when they were in the very early stages of development.
Transplantation of animal organs into humans is still rare. The first pig-to-human kidney transplant was performed in the United States in 2024.
The Vatican document, drawn up with the help of doctors from Italy, the US and the Netherlands, calls on scientists to continue transplanting animal organs in a “purposeful, proportionate and sustainable” way.
The document also calls on doctors to disclose the risks of such a transplant, such as the likelihood that the patient’s immune system will reject the animal’s organ and the possibility of causing infection by microorganisms.
(Vijesti.ba)
