AMERICA/BRAZIL - Bishops take a stance against use of embryonic cells in scientific investigation: “it is a living being that cannot be destroyed.”

Brasilia (Agenzia Fides) - At the close of their meeting for the Permanent Council, the Brazilian Bishops’ Conference (CNBB) has reaffirmed the Church’s position on the use of embryonic cells in scientific research, which does not mean to say that they are, “against science or progress, but rather in favor of life,” the President of the CNBB, Bishop Geraldo Lyrio Rocha, stated. The Bishops of the Permanent Council have announced that they will send a letter to the ministers of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), expressing the Church’s position and “offering our point of view as Brazilians, especially when it comes to a question such as this one, that goes beyond faiths, philosophical positions, ideologies, and political parties.”
According to Bishop Lyrio, “taking a life to save another, is not the solution.” However, this does not mean that the Church is insensitive to people’s suffering, the President of the Brazilian Bishops noted. On the contrary, the Church “encourages scientists to continue their research for finding a cure to the illnesses, whose possible cure is yet unknown.”
The Brazilian Bishops have announced that they will ask the STF to declare the article on the Law of Bio-security, that permits usage of embryos for scientific research and experiments, unconstitutional. “The Church is speaking up on this matter because it relates to a living being that cannot be destroyed.” Moreover, the Church defends human life from conception until natural death. This position has also been reiterated in the Fraternity Campaign this year, whose theme was: “Fraternity and defense of life” and its motto was: “So, choose life” (see Fides 6/2/2008).
The Bishops have also manifested their concern, in the meeting for the Permanent Council, at the increased population mobility. According to the statistics from the Population Mobility Sector of the CNBB, the immigrants are mostly young people. Moreover, many of the Hispano-American immigrants live in the country without documents, “often forced to work in subhuman conditions.” The Church is also concerned for the refugees living in Brazil, which now number around 35,000 people of 59 different nationalities, 30% of which are women.
The Bishops have also reflected on the upcoming elections. In the next scheduled General Assembly for the Bishops, to be held April 2-11 in Itaci, the Bishops will offer some guidelines for voters. One of the initiatives supported by the CNBB is the creation of Committees that fight against electoral corruption. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 5/3/2008 righe 32, parole 399)