Pope says no to embryos, the sick and senior citizens as “disposable material”
The Church, although sensitive to the issue of bioethics, “does not claim any privileged role in this field.” What matters is serving “humanity, as a whole, every man and woman, by paying special attention – as someone pointed out – to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, those who are struggling to make their voice heard, or cannot yet, or no longer can, make themselves heard.”
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – In his address today before the members of the Italian Committee for Bioethics, Pope Francis came to the defence of the weak and defenceless, such as human embryos, sick people and senior citizens approaching death who must not be treated "as disposable material”.
Science, the pontiff insisted, must serve humanity, and biotechnological applications in the field of medicine "can never be used in a way that is detrimental to human dignity, nor guided solely by industrial or commercial aims".
In fact, the Holy Father noted that the Church, “although sensitive to the issue of bioethics, does not claim any privileged role in this field.” On the contrary, “it is satisfied when people, at various levels, are able to reflect, discern and operate on the basis of free and open rationality and the foundational values of the person and society.”
“Such responsible civic mindedness is a sign that the sowing of the Gospel – as indeed revealed by and entrusted to the Church - has borne fruit, and endeavoured to promote the search for the truth and what is good amid complex human and ethical issues."
"It means in essence to serve humanity, as a whole, every man and woman, by paying special attention - as someone pointed out - to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, those who are struggling to make their voice heard, or cannot yet, or no longer can, make it heard. In this matter, the Church as a community and secular society are called to cooperate, each within its own area of authority.”
The Pope acknowledged that the Committee "has repeatedly take into account the respect for the integrity of the human being and the protection of health from conception to natural death, always viewing the person in his or her singularity as end and never simply as a means."
"This ethical principle is also crucial with regard to biotechnological applications in the medical field, which should never be used in a way that is detrimental to human dignity, nor guided solely by industrial or commercial purposes".
Bioethics, in fact, "developed to compare, through critical efforts, the reasons and the conditions required by human dignity to the developments in biological and medical science and technology," which "in their faster pace risk losing any reference other than utility and profit."
For Francis, “Searching for the ethical truth in a context marked by relativism and the lack of trust in human reason" is "demanding" and "not easy". Indeed, “Reaching a harmonious conclusion” requires “humility and realism” and “should not fear the interaction between different positions" nor the idea that “bearing witness to the truth contributes to a more mature social awareness."
Lastly, the pontiff encouraged the committee to make a "greater effort towards an international dialogue in view of a possible" harmonisation "of biological and medical standards and rules to recognise fundamental values and rights".
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