According to the Vatican, xenotransplantation (transplanting animal organs, tissue and cells to humans) can be morally right when conducted in an ethical manner and with required safety measures taken into account. More importantly, the document states that receiving an organ from an animal does not influence the spirituality and humanness of a person. The news highlights the intersection of faith and science, stating that this provides a moral foundation to the field of transplant medicine that could help address the global shortage of donor organs.

The statement is extremely important since people die while waiting for an organ transplantation and recent achievements in genetic engineering provide a better opportunity to use pig organs. At this point, there are already some experiments with modified kidneys and livers of pigs. However, at the same time, the Vatican has emphasised the importance of moral conduct of the procedure and mentioned that it should include informed consent, infection control, concern about animals' well-being and proportionality of using animal organs in relation to saving human life.