POPE SPEAKS ON IDENTITY AND STATUS OF HUMAN EMBRYO

VATICAN CITY, FEB 14, 1997 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning welcomed members of the Pontifical Academy for Life, in Rome for their third plenary assembly, and said that their theme, "Identity and Status of the Human Embryo," is a subject of "current cultural and political interest."

Citing the 1987 Instruction "Donum Vitae," the Pope said: "It is, in fact, a question of reaffirming that 'the human being must be respected and treated as a person right from the moment of conception and, for this reason, from that same moment its rights as a human being must be recognized, among which, and above all, is the inviolable right of every innocent human being to life'. Such statements ... have by now been consigned to mankind's conscience and find a growing reception even in the spheres of scientific and philosophical research.

"Appropriately," the Holy Father continued, "you have further sought to clear up the misunderstandings coming from ... preconceptions of a philosophical and epistemological nature, which place in doubt the very foundations of knowledge, especially in the field of moral values. It is necessary, in fact, to free the truth concerning the human being from every possible exploitation, reductionism or ideology."

"How can one not recall," asked John Paul II, "that our era is seeing an unheard of and almost unimaginable slaughter of innocent human beings, to which many States have given the guarantee of the law? How many times has the Church raised her voice, unheeded, in defense of these human beings! And how many times, unfortunately, has something been presented as a right and a sign of civilization, but which is instead an aberrant crime with respect to the most defenseless of human beings!"

The Holy Father stated that "a decisive step for civilization" must be taken in order to "vindicate the full human dignity and the right to life of every human being from its first instant of life and for the entire prenatal phase." All life must be safeguarded, he pointed out, including "the other more fragile moments of its existence, such as the final stage, illness and handicaps."

He encourage academy members in their work, saying it should produce "a healthy stimulus and valid contributions for an authentic renewal of society."
AC/LIFE/ACAD-V VIS 970214 (380)