Pope warns that no doctor should decide on the life of an embryo

The foundation began its work in France in 1995, after the death of geneticist Jérôme Lejeune, considered the father of modern genetics for discovering the genetic cause of trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) in 1958. According to its website, the organization allocates between four and five million euros (approximately US$4.5-5.7 million) annually for research, maintains a biobank in Paris with more than 20,000 samples, and operates medical centers in Paris and Nantes, France, Madrid, Spain, and Córdoba, Argentina. “I wish to express my encouragement for your commitment to life and human dignity,” Leo XIV told the foundation’s members.

In his speech, the pontiff also recalled the figure of Lejeune, a French scientist whose cause for beatification advanced when Pope Francis in 2021 signed the decree recognizing his heroic virtues. Despite the international recognition his discovery brought him, it was later used by the abortion industry to identify unborn children with Down syndrome — something Lejeune firmly rejected. The French geneticist, declared venerable, publicly defended the lives of the most vulnerable despite the rejection he faced in certain scientific circles.

During the June 22 meeting, held on the occasion of the centenary of Lejeune’s birth, the pope emphasized that the professor dedicated his life to children with disabilities: “Moved by the difficult situation of children with disabilities, Professor Lejeune dedicated his life to them as a scientific researcher.” Leão also recalled that the discovery of the chromosomal abnormality responsible for trisomy 21 made Lejeune a “pioneer of modern genetics”.

The Holy Father also highlighted Lejeune’s medical vocation and his commitment to patients, whom he called “the poorest of the poor”, and cited one of his best-known expressions: “Medicine is hatred of illness and love of the patient”. The pope also recalled the scientist’s influence on the Church, noting that Saint Paul VI named him a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and that his closeness to Saint John Paul II contributed to the creation of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

In his remarks, Leo XIV warned about the ethically questionable use of scientific advances. “A man of science and wisdom, Jérôme Lejeune quickly understood that his scientific discovery would be used to eradicate people with trisomy 21 before they were born,” he said. The pontiff added that the geneticist denounced this phenomenon as “chromosomal racism.” “Be, like him, committed witnesses in society, at the service of the constant search for the common good,” he said.

The pope reiterated that technology cannot replace medicine nor be separated from an ethical framework: “The value of the human person does not depend on what he accomplishes or produces.” Finally, he expressed gratitude for the work of the Lejeune Foundation, addressing its members, the venerable Lejeune’s children present in the audience, and the “dear friends with trisomy 21” and their parents. “I am pleased with the place you occupy at the global level in research into intellectual disabilities of genetic origin,” he said.

The pontiff concluded by encouraging his members to continue promoting a culture of life and the common good, and imparted his apostolic blessing, extending it to their families and the patients served by the institution.