Pope Leo XIV in Powerful Pro-Life Message Warns "Medicine can never become the servant of programmed death!" FULL TEXT to Lejeune Foundation

On the centenary of the birth of Venerable Professor Jérôme Lejeune, Pope Leo XIV received members of the Foundation that bears his name and continues his work. In his address, the Pope recalled Lejeune as a pioneer of modern genetics, a physician devoted to the most vulnerable, and a tireless defender of life.
Professor Jérôme Lejeune, who discovered the chromosomal abnormality responsible for trisomy 21, left a lasting mark on the history of modern medicine.Regarded as one of the fathers of contemporary genetics, he dedicated his life to research and to the care of people with intellectual disabilities.

ADDRESS OF POPE LEO XIV
TO THE MEMBERS OF THE JÉRÔME LEJEUNE FOUNDATION
Consistory Hall, Monday, June 22, 2026
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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
peace be with you!
Dear members of the Foundation,
dear parents of the Venerable Professor Jérôme Lejeune,
dear friends,

It is a joy to mark the centenary of the birth of Jérôme Lejeune with you, members of the Foundation which bears his name and which continues his work.

Moved by the plight of children with disabilities, Professor Lejeune dedicated his life as a scientific researcher to them. His most famous discovery, that of the chromosomal abnormality responsible for Down syndrome (trisomy 21), made him a pioneer of modern genetics, recognized worldwide; the long list of his honorary titles attests to this. But he was also a physician by vocation and tirelessly worked to find a treatment to alleviate the suffering of his patients, whom he called "the poorest of the poor." He ardently defended the life and dignity of the most vulnerable, even at the cost of his career: "Medicine," he liked to say, "is the hatred of disease and the love of the sick."

Aware of Professor Lejeune's academic excellence and tireless dedication to the Church, Pope Saint Paul VI appointed him a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Subsequently, as you know, his deep friendship with Saint John Paul II and their shared vision in defense of life led to the creation of the Pontifical Academy for Life , which Professor Lejeune saw as a necessary institution in the face of the growing threats to life.

A man of science and wisdom, Jérôme Lejeune quickly realized that his scientific discovery would be used to eradicate people with Down syndrome before they were even born. He did not hesitate to become their advocate, denouncing the transgression of the Hippocratic Oath and this new eugenics, which he called "chromosomal racism." His prophetic pronouncements led him to defend the life of every human being, invoking the inviolable dignity that originates in God's act of creation. He addressed and advised institutions and rulers worldwide on this issue. This struggle earned him hostility in certain scientific circles.

Professor Lejeune was aware that while technology can assist medicine, it can never replace it. Furthermore, he knew that technology can be used against medicine—which is by its very nature dedicated to life—as is evident when technology escapes all necessary ethical oversight and calculations of efficiency, profitability, or utility prevail. However, a person's worth does not depend on what they achieve or produce. Therefore, no doctor should ever presume, based on laboratory algorithms, to decide the fate of an embryo or an elderly person! Medicine can never become the servant of programmed death!

Dear friends, today the Lejeune Foundation, of which you are active members, continues the work initiated by Professor Lejeune in the three dimensions of research, care, and the unconditional defense of the human person. I am delighted by the prominent role you play worldwide in research on intellectual disabilities of genetic origin. You have also created and support the Jérôme Lejeune Institute, which provides consultations to thousands of patients suffering from various mental disabilities.

I wish to express my encouragement in your commitment to life and human dignity, particularly with regard to public authorities. I know that you regularly participate in societal debates to protect every person in all circumstances of their life. But I also know that you are dedicated to developing a culture of life through the International Chair in Bioethics , which provides academic training to various stakeholders in this field: healthcare professionals, legal experts, and philosophers. Thank you for this training that you provide to men and women who, in the future, will be able to contribute to ensuring a medical ethic that serves human dignity and life.

To you, dear friends with Down syndrome and your parents, to you, the children of Venerable Professor Lejeune present this morning, to all of you, members of the Jérôme Lejeune Foundations in Spain, Argentina, and the United States, and finally to you, members from Portugal, Italy, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, and Korea, I wish to express my satisfaction with the work that you, as lay people, are carrying out in the charity of truth, following in the footsteps of Venerable Jérôme Lejeune. Like him, be committed witnesses in society, dedicated to the constant pursuit of the common good. This is the first great principle of the Church's social teaching, and the "social form" of the dignity recognized in everyone ( Magnifica Humanitas , n. 59). The common good excludes none of those who were created in the image and likeness of God.

The message and work of Venerable Jérôme Lejeune are based on the universality of reason and heart combined. May he inspire the courage of truth in the many young people and professionals who desire consistency; may he help them to unite, without rigidity, reason and faith, word and deed, the absence of judgment on persons and the rejection of falsehood.

I entrust you to the intercession of Our Lady, asking her to guide your steps, support your efforts, and bestow her tenderness upon all vulnerable people. To all of you present here, I wholeheartedly impart my Apostolic Blessing, which I extend to all members of the Foundation, their families, and the "dear protégés" of Jérôme Lejeune. Thank you.