EUROPE/ITALY - With regard to “the challenge of life” Catholics are not alone in their position, their opinions are endorsed by many, including non believers equally concerned for our common future: Cardinal President’s prolusion to Standing Council of Italian Bishops Conference CEI

Bari (Fides Service) - The present public debate in Italy with regard to a referendum on amendments to the law on Assisted Reproduction was mentioned by Cardinal Camillo Ruini the President of the CEI the Italian Bishops’ Conference, his address to open the work of the Standing Council of the Italian Bishops’ Conference in Bari, who said: “Although we are not in favour of a referendum it could be an opportunity to make the people of Italy more aware of the problems and values at stake with regard to what the Pope called in his new year address to the diplomatic corps ‘the first of the main challenges facing humanity today’, that is the “challenge of life”. The last part of the Cardinal’s prolusion was devoted to the referendum to amend parts of the law on Assisted Reproduction. Noting the decision taken by the Constitutional Court, Cardinal Ruini said “our opinion and position remain unchanged with regard to this law which under certain important aspects fails to correspond to the moral teaching of the Church although it does safeguard certain essential principles and criteria concerning questions in which the specific dignity and basic rights of the human person are at stake.”
The Cardinal said: “although we are not searching for a contraposition, for our part on no account can we approve the proposed changes to the law in order to avoid a referendum: these changes would not improve the law, on the contrary they would abdicate precisely from those essential principles and criteria. Instead we will make our contribution towards guaranteeing a referendum campaign which is orderly and respectful while giving proper emphasis to the gravity of the difficulties.”
Lastly the Cardinal said: “We are happy that in this confrontation Catholics are not alone their opinions are endorsed by many, including non believers- personalities of science, culture, social communications - equally concerned for our common future. With regard to the most effective manner of expressing disapproval of changes which would make the law even worse, it would seem right to avail ourselves of every possibility envisaged by the lawmakers in this field.” (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 18/1/2005; righe 24, parole 328)