A Shift in Science and Culture

Vatican Conference on Regenerative Medicine To Focus on Complex Subject of Stem Cell Research Vatican City, April 09, 2013 (Zenit.org) Junno Arocho Esteves | 305 hits

The Holy See Press Office held a briefing today to present the Second International Vatican Adult Stem Cell Conference, entitled Regenerative Medicine: A Fundamental Shift in Science & Culture. The conference will take place at the Synod Hall of the Paul VI Audience Hall on April 11-13th.

Presenting at the press briefing were Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture; Dr. Robin Smith, president of the The Stem for LIfe Foundation and CEO of NeoStem; and Msgr. Tomasz Trafny, head of the Pontifical Council for Cultures Science and Faith foundation.

Cardinal Ravasi commented on the significance of the conference as a means to show the Churchs role in what he called a very complex subject.

Stem cell research has been the center of an ethical debate between proponents of embryonic stem cell research and those of adult stem cell research. Adult stem cells are taken from adult tissue samples as opposed to embryonic stem cells, which are derived from destroyed human embryos. Scientists are discovering that adult stem cells as a more proven method of obtaining stem cells with the ability to regenerate. Once cultivated, the stem cells can be used to regenerate and replenishing dying tissue in the body of a person suffering from a debilitating disease, such as Alzheimers or Parkinsons disease.

Cardinal Ravasi said that the conference hosted by the Vatican will give the Church an opportunity to show that religion does not solely speak on matters of ethics, but affirms the participation of a positive development in adult stem cell research. The conference, he continued, would allow the Catholic Church to not only give a spiritual intervention, but to make present Christs public ministry in caring for the sick.

Cardinal Ravasi concluded his statement by reading a passage of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI address to participants of the last conference on adult stem cell research, held in 2011.

The potential benefits of adult stem cell research are very considerable, since it opens up possibilities for healing chronic degenerative illnesses by repairing damaged tissue and restoring its capacity for regeneration, Benedict XVIs address stated.

The improvement that such therapies promise would constitute a significant step forward in medical science, bringing fresh hope to sufferers and their families alike. For this reason, the Church naturally offers her encouragement to those who are engaged in conducting and supporting research of this kind, always with the proviso that it be carried out with due regard for the integral good of the human person and the common good of society.

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A Shift in Science and Culture