Papal spokesman comments on faith and reason in medical research

(May 7, 2012) The spokesman of the Holy See Press has devoted his weekend editorial to the importance of the unity between faith and reason in medical research - a union that was a theme of Pope Benedict XVI’s address on Thursday to the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the Sacred Heart Catholic University in Rome. “The union between reason and faith is a guarantee of the fertility of each, while their separation leads to a ‘an impoverishment of ethics,’ that makes it impossible to assess whether what is technically possible is morally good, whether it leads to the authentic human good,” wrote papal spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, in his weekly editorial. “The Pope said even more, however, for science and medical research are so directly related to the care of the human person, that in them it becomes particularly evident how truly necessary is the guidance of love, how truly essential is the link between commitment to the advancement of human knowledge and passionate dedication to the good of man, a creature who suffers and is confronted with the most radical questions about the meaning of life,” Father Lombardi added.