Vatican Official Says Notre Dame Controversy Shows Need for Dialogue on Abortion
The Church should engage with universities about how to take ‘an ethical approach’ to the dignity of unborn life, the president of the Pontifical Academy for Life said.
The president of the Pontifical Academy for Life said Tuesday the Church needs to maintain a dialogue with universities on the issue of abortion.
Msgr. Renzo Pegoraro was responding to a question about controversy over the leadership appointment of a pro-abortion professor at the University of Notre Dame — and whether Catholic universities have a responsibility to uphold Church teaching on unborn life.
Abortion “is not acceptable as a practice,” Msgr. Pegoraro said during a Vatican press conference on Feb. 17.
He added that it is the responsibility of not only individuals but also of society to help women and couples “avoid the idea that abortion could be a solution to a difficult pregnancy or a problem.”
Msgr. Pegoraro addressed journalists during a presentation about the academy’s international workshop “Health Care for All: Sustainability and Equity,” held in Rome Feb. 16-17.
Msgr. Pegoraro, who was named president of the Pontifical Academy for Life on May 27, 2025, said convincing people that abortion is not the solution “is a big challenge.”
He added: “We try to see how to maintain a debate about that, and we try to stress more the ethical and some social aspects, not immediately only the legal aspect of the problem.”
- Keywords:
- catholic teaching on dignity of the human person
- university of notre dame
- notre dame
- dignity of the unborn
