The Church: supporting ethical science

The Church’s efforts to promote ethical scientific research for the benefit of all mankind range from its commitment to healthcare and education to financial support of researchers working with adult stem cells.

Speaking to Vatican Radio following last week’s three day conference in the Vatican entitled “Adult Stem Cells: science and the future of man and culture,” an official at the Pontifical Council for Culture and one of the organizers of the event, Fr. Tomasz Trafny cited research donations from individual bishops and bishops’ conferences as just one way the Church has shown its commitment to science and technology, especially in the area of research into the therapeutic potential of adult stem cells.

Through its charitable foundation STOQ International, the Pontifical Council for Culture has itself invested as much as one million USD in adult stem cell research.

The Church does not support research involving the destruction of human embryos.

“I think what some bishops do and what the Pontifical Council for Culture does, is only the first signal and input for developing a new kind of mentality where philanthropists and non profit organizations can find their own space in helping and developing very viable projects,” Fr. Trafny says.

“Of course, the Church is (present) around the world with many welfare institutions and maybe our initiative will offer input for other bishops’ conferences or non profit organizations. But still, we have to understand that the most important thing is to join forces and to invite people from different areas, organizations and institutions to come together and to see how many resources we have, what we want to put in a ‘common box’ if I can say that, and how we can help to advance science and positively impact humanity.”

In Tracey McClure’s interview, Fr. Trafny reflects on some of Pope Benedict’s comments to participants in a papal audience at the weekend, and on how the Church can form partnerships with members of the business, scientific, medical, political, social and educational communities to promote this groundbreaking and ethical science. Listen here as Fr. Trafny gives his assessment of the Nov. 9-11^th conference: