The Vatican Takes a Stand Against Cosmetic Surgery, Decrying the ‘Cult of the Body’

Catholics around the world may think twice before getting that lip filler or nose job as the Vatican offers new guidance against cosmetic surgery.The Vatican’s International Theological Commission, which advises the church on questions of doctrine, issued a document Wednesday urging Catholics to avoid cosmetic procedures. The church does not prohibit cosmetic surgery outright, but the document warns that such procedures can feed a cycle of vanity.“Advances in cosmetic surgery offer tools that significantly change the relationship with one’s corporeality,” the document reads, adding that a widespread “cult of the body” follows, “tending toward a frantic search for a perfect figure, always fit, young and beautiful.”The commission further argued that cosmetic surgery can lead people to view their bodies as malleable “according to the tastes of the moment.” As a result, the text contends, “The ideal body is exalted … while the real body is not truly loved, since it is a source of limits, fatigue, aging.”The text was approved by Pope Leo XIV, who was elected to the papacy in May 2025, succeeding Pope Francis and becoming the first American pope to lead the Vatican. There are approximately 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide. Some 40 million cosmetic procedures are performed annually across the globe, with demand for surgical and non-surgical enhancements surging in recent years. The United States leads all countries, accounting for more than 6.1 million procedures a year.

The Vatican Takes a Stand Against Cosmetic Surgery, Decrying the ‘Cult of the Body’

The Vatican Takes a Stand Against Cosmetic Surgery, Decrying the ‘Cult of the Body’

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