Pope Leo XIV will inaugurate an international congress on human fertility on October 16, kicking off a three-day gathering in Rome that brings together specialists to address the scientific, anthropological, and ethical challenges surrounding reproduction. Titled “The splendor of the human: safeguarding fertility, curing infertility,” the conference will take place from October 16 to 18 at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart. The event commemorates both the 25th anniversary of the Paul VI International Scientific Institute (ISI) for research on human fertility and infertility and the 50th anniversary of the Center for Natural Fertility Regulation.
The program will begin with a Mass presided over by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna, followed by an audience with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican. The congress will officially open at the university auditorium with an introductory lecture by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on the dignity and beauty of procreation in Catholic doctrine. Jointly organized by the ISI-Paul VI Foundation, the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, the Toniolo Institute of Higher Studies, and the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic Foundation, the event seeks to align medical research with Christian ethics.
Structured across four thematic sessions, the conference will explore the societal, scientific, and technological dimensions of transmission of life, preconception health, and infertility prevention. Through interdisciplinary panels, healthcare professionals, clinical researchers, and married couples will examine therapeutic options that respect human dignity while countering what the Church terms a “throwaway culture.” Building on the teachings of St. Paul VI and St. John Paul II, the congress will conclude with closing remarks by Monsignor Claudio Giuliodori and Professor Tullio Ghi of the Gemelli Polyclinic.