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Church and Biotechnology K Sheet CATHOLIC CHURCH AND BIOTECHNOLOGY The Catholic Church recommends the prudent use of biotechnology in agriculture and urges rigorous scientific and ethical evaluation. This is the common message of Vatican statements on biotechnology that have been published to date. Statements include press conferences, speeches, formal statements, news releases and publications from the Vatican Pontifical Academy on Life. According to Bishop Elio Sgreccia, vice-president of the Pontifical Academy for Life and director of the Institute of Bioethics of the Sacred Heart University of Rome, there are no specific indications from the Magisterium of the Church on biotechnology. Because of this, I have stopped all those who demand the condemnation of these products. The book, Animal and Vegetable Biotechnology: New Frontiers and New Responsibilities, published by the Pontifical Academy for Life, is a contribution toward clarifying this question. We give the ideological lines: research in the biotechnological field could resolve enormous problems as, for example, the adaptation of agriculture to arid land, thus conquering hunger. The biotechnological products must contribute to mans well being, giving guarantees in face of possible risks. Therefore, what is needed is honesty. Once the proper health characteristics of the product are guaranteed, it is right that the consumer should know if it has been genetically modified. Finally, Bishop Sgreccia confirmed that the Pontifical Academy for Life says no to the cloning of man in all its forms. In November 2000, Pope John Paul II welcomed farmers from all over the world to a special audience in the Vatican on the eve of a mass dedicated to them. In his statement, he said This is a principle to be remembered in agricultural production itself, whenever there is a question of its advance through the application of biotechnologies, which cannot be evaluated solely on the basis of immediate economic interests. They must be submitted beforehand to rigorous scientific and ethical examination, to prevent them from becoming disastrous for human health and the future of the earth. Other Endorsements: In the Philippines, Cardinal Sin, one of the most influential of Roman Catholic Cardinals, issued a statement in May 2001 in which he advocates caution in the use of biotechnology in agriculture. He readily acknowledges that science is a significant expression of mans dominion over creation, and a concrete case that needs examination is genetic engineering applied to K Sheets are Knowledge Sheets, packaged information on crop biotechnology products and related issues available at your finger tips. They are produced by the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology and additional copies can be obtained from our website (http://www.isaaa.org/kc). For more information, please contact the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) SEAsiaCenter, c/o IRRI DAPO Box 7777, Metro Manila, Philippines. Tel: +63- 2-8450563; Fax: +63-2-8450606; E-mail: [email protected] CATHOLIC CHURCH AND BIOTECHNOLOGY agricultural products. Along with the noble desire to combat hunger, poverty and disease in developing and applying such technology, scientists have the task of protecting the rest of creation from all possible harms that ensue. During the New Zealand Royal Commission on Biotechnology, the Catholic Bishops Conference of New Zealand (CBC-NZ) testified and presented a report (2001), which was straightforwardly in favor of agricultural biotechnology. The CBC-NZ report was prepared by the CBC completely independent of any other entity. In Kenya, one Catholic diocese collaborates with the Kenyan Agricultural Research Service to serve as extension agents to the farmers It successfully provides crop improvements and education about agricultural biotechnology to Kenyan farmers within the diocese. For complete texts of any of the above statements, please visit http://www.isaaa.org/kc.
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