The reporter had it grossly wrong. See below.
Your country has achieved notable successes in scientific research
and development. Prominent among these are advances in biotechnology
with the potential to treat and cure illnesses so as to improve the
quality of life in your homeland and abroad. Discoveries in this
field invite man to a deeper awareness of the weighty
responsibilities involved in their application. The use society
hopes to make of biomedical science must constantly be measured
against robust and firm ethical standards (cf. Address to the
Pontifical Academy of Sciences, 6 November 2006). Foremost among
these is the dignity of human life, for under no circumstances may a
human being be manipulated or treated as a mere instrument for
experimentation. The destruction of human embryos, whether to
acquire stem cells or for any other purpose, contradicts the
purported intent of researchers, legislators and public health
officials to promote human welfare. The Church does not hesitate to
approve and encourage somatic stem-cell research—not only because of
the favourable results obtained through these alternative methods,
but more importantly because they harmonize with the aforementioned
intent by respecting the life of the human being at every stage of
his or her existence (cf. Address to the Pontifical Academy for Life
Symposium, 16 September 2006). Mr. Ambassador, I pray that the
inherent moral sensibility of the Korean people, as evidenced by
their rejection of human cloning and related procedures, will help
attune the international community to the deep ethical and social
implications of scientific research and its utilization.
http://tinyurl.com/2zuex9 ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
TO H.E. Mr. JI-YOUNG FRANCESCO KIM
AMBASSADOR OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA TO THE HOLY SEE
Thursday, 11 October 2007
Your Excellency,
I am pleased to welcome you to the Vatican to accept the Letters of
Credence by which the President of the Republic of Korea has
appointed you Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the
Holy See. I take this occasion to renew the expression of my respect
and warm affection for the Korean people, and I ask you to convey to
President Roh Moo-hyun and all your fellow citizens my prayerful
good wishes for the peace and prosperity of your nation.
Your Excellency has noted the remarkable growth of the Catholic
Church in your country, due in no small part to the heroic example
of men and women whose faith led them to lay down their lives for
Christ and for their brothers and sisters. Their sacrifice reminds
us that no cost is too great for persevering in fidelity to the
truth. Regrettably, in our contemporary pluralist world some people
question or even deny the importance of truth. Yet objective truth
remains the only sure basis for social cohesion. Truth is not
dependent upon consensus but precedes it and makes it possible,
generating authentic human solidarity. The Church—always mindful of
the truth's power to unite people, and ever attentive to mankind's
irrepressible desire for peaceful coexistence—eagerly strives to
strengthen concord and social harmony both in ecclesial life and
civic life, proclaiming the truth about the human person as known by
natural reason and fully manifested through divine revelation.
Your Excellency, the international community joins with the citizens
of your country in their heightened aspirations for newfound peace
on the Korean peninsula and throughout the region. I take this
opportunity to reiterate the Holy See's support for every initiative
that aims at a sincere and lasting reconciliation, putting an end to
enmity and unresolved grievances. Genuine progress is built on
attitudes of honesty and trust. I commend your country's efforts to
foster fruitful and open dialogue while simultaneously working to
alleviate the pain of those suffering from the wounds of division
and distrust. Indeed, every nation shares in the responsibility of
assuring a more stable and secure world. It is my ardent hope that
the ongoing participation of various countries involved in the
negotiation process will lead to a cessation of programmes designed
to develop and produce weapons with frightening potential for
unspeakable destruction.
Your country has achieved notable successes in scientific research
and development. Prominent among these are advances in biotechnology
with the potential to treat and cure illnesses so as to improve the
quality of life in your homeland and abroad. Discoveries in this
field invite man to a deeper awareness of the weighty
responsibilities involved in their application. The use society
hopes to make of biomedical science must constantly be measured
against robust and firm ethical standards (cf. Address to the
Pontifical Academy of Sciences, 6 November 2006). Foremost among
these is the dignity of human life, for under no circumstances may a
human being be manipulated or treated as a mere instrument for
experimentation. The destruction of human embryos, whether to
acquire stem cells or for any other purpose, contradicts the
purported intent of researchers, legislators and public health
officials to promote human welfare. The Church does not hesitate to
approve and encourage somatic stem-cell research—not only because of
the favourable results obtained through these alternative methods,
but more importantly because they harmonize with the aforementioned
intent by respecting the life of the human being at every stage of
his or her existence (cf. Address to the Pontifical Academy for Life
Symposium, 16 September 2006). Mr. Ambassador, I pray that the
inherent moral sensibility of the Korean people, as evidenced by
their rejection of human cloning and related procedures, will help
attune the international community to the deep ethical and social
implications of scientific research and its utilization.
The promotion of human dignity also summons public authorities to
ensure that young people receive a sound education. Faith-based
schools have much to contribute in this regard. It is incumbent upon
governments to afford parents the opportunity to send their children
to religious schools by facilitating the establishment and financing
of such institutions. Insofar as possible, public subsidies should
free parents from undue financial burdens that attenuate their
ability to choose the most suitable means of educating their
children. Catholic and other religious schools should enjoy the
appropriate latitude of freedom to design and implement curricula
that nurture the life of the spirit without which the life of the
mind is so seriously distorted. I appeal to Church and civic leaders
to move forward in a spirit of cooperation to guarantee a future for
Catholic schooling in your country which will contribute to the
moral and intellectual maturation of the younger generation for the
benefit of all society.
Your Excellency, on this happy occasion as you begin your mission, I
assure you that the Holy See and its various offices will be ever
ready to assist you in carrying out your duties. I invoke divine
blessings upon you, your family and the people of your country, who
hold a special place in my thoughts and prayers at this time.
