Vatican allows transplanting animal organs to Catholics

An operating room. Illustrative photo: Getty Images

On March 24, 2026, the Vatican published a new document from the Pontifical Academy for Life, which outlines the medical and ethical aspects of transplanting animal organs into humans, reports Euronews.

The document notes that the Catholic Church does not object to the use of animals as a source of organs, tissues, or cells for transplantation, provided bioethical standards are observed.

“Catholic theology contains no religious or ritual prohibitions on the use of any animals as a source of organs, tissues, or cells for transplantation into humans,” the text states.

The authors highlight that such procedures should only be performed when necessary and justified, and should not lead to excessive suffering of animals or violations of biodiversity. 

At the same time, the document points to risks of interference with human identity. In particular, it speaks of the inadmissibility of transplanting animal brain cells related to cognitive functions if it is impossible to guarantee the preservation of the patient's identity.

However, as the authors note, certain types of cell therapy may be considered ethically permissible.

“At the same time, brain cell therapy aimed at correcting physiological disorders, for example, in Parkinson's disease, through the introduction of pig adrenal cells, is unlikely to pose such a threat and may be considered ethically permissible from the Catholic Church's point of view,” the Pontifical Academy believes.

The Vatican links the development of xenotransplantation to the shortage of donor organs.

As the UOJ reported, an U.S. startup will edit embryo genes.

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