ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - Cardinal Stephen Kim: “A collapsed building can be reconstructed, it is not so difficult. However if the sense of values and dignity of life collapses it will be very difficult to restore”.

Thursday, 20 October 2005

Seoul (Fides Service) - Cardinal Stephen Kim, emeritus archbishop of di Seoul has reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s position that the “human embryo is a human life, with precise and undeniable dignity which demands to be respected. The Cardinal said this as the debate on bio-ethics, cloning and the nature of human embryos continues in South Korea, and he said he disagreed with scientists using human embryos for research and experiments.
While assuring his respect for scientist Dr Hwang the leader of embryonic stem cell research in Korea, Cardinal Kim said the use of human embryos for this purpose is clearly a violation of human dignity. “Some people consider the opposition of the Church a conflict between ‘religion and science’ but I do not think so. To regard human embryos as a human life is not a religious doctrine or belief it belongs to fundamental and universal ethics. Regarding the Law on Life Ethics and Safety, against which the Catholic Church and the Protestant Church in Korea filed a constitutional petition, Cardinal Kim said: “the most fundamental principle of legislation is to defend human rights. If a law violates the most fundamental right, the right to life, it commits a serious error ”.
The Cardinal concluded: “A collapsed building can be reconstructed, it is not so difficult. However if the sense of values and dignity of life collapses it will be very difficult to restore”.
In the meantime a sizeable group of Korean scientists and researchers approved a moral protocol on the need to respect human life in stem cell research. The Korean Society for molecule and cellular research, which has 5,000 members, drafted a Moral Code for Biological Science Scholars, principles to protect human embryos.
The code is a self regulation imposed by scientists to guarantee maximum respect for human life in scientific studies. Although only a statement, the text is seen by academics and scientists as highly significant. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 20/10/2005 righe 27 parole 282)


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