Pope Francis meets with Declaration of Istanbul Custodian Group reps

[Clark]

http://declarationofistanbul.org/governance/dicg/recent-activities

Pope Francis meets with DICG representatives

Representatives of the Declaration of Istanbul Custodian Group (DICG) met with Pope Francis during a private audience at the Vatican on Friday.

The DICG delegation included Executive Director Professor Francis Delmonico, executive board member Dr Beatriz Dominguez-Gil, Dr Mirela Busic and Professor Mehmet Haberal, who supports the DICG through the Haberal Foundation. Professor Ignazio Marino, the Mayor of Rome, arranged the meeting at the request of the DICG.

A review of the global state of affairs in organ donation and transplantation was presented to the Pope, and the ongoing challenges of meeting needs for transplantation and preventing organ trafficking were discussed. DICG members expressed concern about recent proposals to introduce financial incentives for organ donation in the United States, particularly with regards to the potential influence of such proposals on policy and practice in developing countries most vulnerable to organ trafficking.

The importance of legal measures combatting organ trafficking, such as the recent Council of Europe Convention, was noted. The DICG also reported on recent successful progress in donation and transplantation in countries and regions such as Spain, Croatia, and Eastern Europe, and the importance of eliminating barriers to organ donation, for example through measures to remove or reimburse costs associated with living kidney donation.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Pope Francis expressed his conviction that "organ trafficking and commercialization are immoral".

A formal report reviewing the issues of organ trafficking and commercialism will be submitted by the DICG to the Pope for his consideration.