ROME (AP) – The French physician who discovered the genetic basis of Down syndrome, but throughout his career advocated against abortion as a result of prenatal diagnosis, has taken his first big step towards possible holiness.
Pope Francis on Thursday approved the “heroic virtues” of Dr. Jerome Lejeune, who lived from 1926-1994 and was particularly appreciated by St. John Paul II for his anti-abortion position.
The papal recognition of Lejeune’s virtues means that he is considered “venerable” by the Catholic Church. The Vatican must now confirm one miracle attributed to his intercession to beatify him, and a second to declare him a saint.
According to his official biography, Lejeune discovered the existence of an extra chromosome on the 21st pair in 1958 while studying the chromosomes of a child. It was the first time that scientists had found a link between an intellectual disability and a chromosomal anomaly; the condition is now known as trisomy 21.
“While the results of his research should have helped medicine on the path to a cure, they are often used to identify children with these diseases as early as possible, usually with the goal of ending the pregnancy,” wrote the Jerome Lejeune Foundation. in her biography.
“As soon as pro-abortion laws were enacted in Western countries, Lejeune began advocating for the protection of the unborn with Down syndrome: he held hundreds of conferences and interviews around the world in defense of life,” the group said.
John Paul made Lejeune a member of the think tank of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences in 1974 and later named him the first president of the Pontifical Academy of Life, the Holy See’s principal advisory committee on bioethics.
John Paul visited Lejeune’s grave during World Youth Day in Paris in 1997.
While John Paul made the church’s fierce opposition to abortion a hallmark of his quarter-century papacy, Francis has also vigorously denounced what he calls today’s “throwaway culture,” which sees the weak, disabled, or sick as a one-off. He has likened abortion to hiring a “hit man” to solve a problem.