2026 Rome Conference Wrap-Up

For four days, from September 7th-10th, MaterCare International gathered in Rome for its International Conference, bringing together Catholic physicians, midwives, healthcare professionals, researchers, clergy and advocates from around the world.

Held under the theme “The Genius of Motherhood,” the conference was an opportunity to step away from the demands of everyday medical practice and consider a deeper question: How can we better serve mothers, babies and families through medicine rooted in life, truth and hope?

From prayer and professional formation to complex clinical discussions and conversations about the future of our communities, the conference explored the many dimensions of MaterCare’s mission.

Rightly, the conference began with prayer, Eucharistic adoration, the Rosary and a retreat focused on personal holiness led by Father George Woodall. This was more than a spiritual prelude to the scientific programme. It set the tone for the days that followed. Our work begins with the recognition that every woman and every child possesses an inherent dignity that does not depend on health, age, ability, circumstance or social value.

The MaterCare Prayer asks for the virtues of compassion, prudence, wisdom and mercy, and for the grace to remain united in love while proclaiming and practising the Gospel of Life throughout the world. That prayer remained a fitting foundation for a conference that repeatedly returned to the relationship between professional excellence, personal vocation and faith.

The opening sessions turned attention to the fundamental importance of motherhood and fatherhood. Motherhood was explored not simply as a biological reality, but as a profound vocation with implications for families, communities and cultures. Marriage and parenthood were presented as opportunities for self-gift, love and spiritual growth. Together, these reflections reminded participants that maternal healthcare does not exist in isolation. Caring for a mother and her child means recognizing the family and relationships surrounding them.

MaterCare’s projects around the world were shared as examples of vocation in practice. Updates from projects and partner organizations highlighted work in Uganda, Timor-Leste and other communities, demonstrating how MaterCare’s mission is lived out on the ground.

A recurring theme was the importance of beginning with relationships, trust and a genuine understanding of local needs.

A firsthand report from Project Sheema offered by Executive Director, Simon Walley, in Uganda offered a powerful example of what this can mean in practice: investment in maternity care, laboratory services, care for premature and low-birth-weight babies, and other essential infrastructure is helping communities protect both mothers and their children. These projects are a tangible expression of MaterCare’s motto:

“Do whatever He tells you.”

The program addressed some of the most challenging questions facing obstetric and reproductive healthcare today.

Through case discussions and keynote presentations, participants considered topics including abortion pill reversal, ethical approaches to contraception, breast cancer during pregnancy, preterm premature rupture of membranes, HELLP syndrome, previable delivery, fetal pain and antenatal screening.

The purpose was not to pretend that difficult cases have simple answers. Instead, the conference provided a safe space for medical professionals and ethicists to engage complex questions honestly, drawing upon clinical evidence, Catholic moral teaching and the conviction that both mother and child deserve compassionate care.

The conference also explored approaches to high-risk pregnancy, perinatal palliative care and care for families facing life-limiting prenatal diagnoses. These conversations emphasized the importance of accompanying families through uncertainty, suffering and grief, and of ensuring that medicine remains a place of care and hope even when cure is not possible.

A further theme emerged throughout the conference: the need to build a culture of life through truth, courage and love.

Participants heard about experiences of conscience and freedom, the challenges faced by healthcare professionals working in environments where their convictions may not be shared, and efforts to provide ethical, compassionate care to women experiencing crisis pregnancies.

The conference also highlighted research and emerging approaches in women's health and fertility care. Sessions explored research and clinical practice related to Down syndrome, restorative surgery for endometriosis and adenomyosis, fertility, immunotherapies, Caesarean scar defects and Caesarean scar pregnancy.

These presentations reflected our shared commitment to encouraging medical research that seeks new ways to understand, prevent and treat conditions affecting women while respecting the dignity of human life.

Scientific inquiry and faith were not presented as competing realities. Rather, the conference invited participants to consider how science, medicine and faith can work together in the pursuit of truth and the genuine medical good.

Looking beyond clinical practice, the conference also considered the cultural and demographic challenges facing the next generation. These conversations raised important questions about what young people are being told about relationships, marriage, sexuality, parenthood and the future.

If we hope to create a culture that welcomes life, we must also create a culture in which young people can imagine a future in which marriage, family and children are sources of meaning, love and hope.

Concluding this year, for the first time, MaterCare International introduced four awards to recognize exceptional work and presentations during the conference:

• The Saint Luke Award

• The Saint John Paul II Award

• The Saint Gianna Beretta Molla Award

• The Saints Cosmas and Damian Award

  
  

The awards provided an opportunity to celebrate the dedication, expertise and contribution of those working to advance medicine, research, education and service.

Our sincere thanks to all who made this conference possible.