{"id":6862,"date":"2022-03-08T15:10:24","date_gmt":"2022-03-08T20:10:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diocesemontreal.wp.vortexdev.com\/en\/news\/news-2\/popes-march-prayer-intention-christian-response-bioethical-challenges\/"},"modified":"2022-03-08T15:10:24","modified_gmt":"2022-03-08T20:10:24","slug":"popes-march-prayer-intention-christian-response-bioethical-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diocesemontreal.wp.vortexdev.com\/en\/news\/news-2\/popes-march-prayer-intention-christian-response-bioethical-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope\u2019s March prayer intention: For a Christian response to bioethical challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From Vatican News<\/a>
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\n\u201cLet us pray that we may give a Christian response to bioethical challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Pope Francis offered that invitation to Catholics in his prayer intention for the month of March.<\/p>\n\n

He noted that science in the field of bioethics has made great advances in recent years, presenting a host of problems.<\/p>\n\n

Christians, said the Pope, must respond to these challenges and not bury \u201cour heads like an ostrich.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

He called for biotechnology to always be used \u201cbased on respect for human dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Careless attitude toward life<\/strong>
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\nPope Francis gave the example of the careless disposal of human embryos.<\/p>\n\n

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\u201cOur throw-away culture is also applied to [human embryos]. No, that can\u2019t be done. Extending this culture in such a way does so much harm.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

He also criticized how the search for profit conditions biomedical research, saying we must realize that profound changes are occurring and discern them well.<\/p>\n\n

Guiding biotechnological advances, not curbing them<\/strong>
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\nThe Pope clarified that the Church never seeks to limit technological advances, but rather tries to accompany those advances.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about protecting both human dignity and progress,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is to say, we cannot pay the price of human dignity for progress. Both go together, in harmony.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Finally, Pope Francis prayed that the world might respect human dignity as it makes technological advances.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWe pray for Christians facing new bioethical challenges,\u201d he urged. \u201cMay they continue to defend the dignity of all human life with prayer and action.\u201d
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\nProfound and subtle discernment<\/strong>
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\nA press release accompanying The Pope Video\u2014which is produced by the Pope\u2019s Worldwide Prayer Network\u2014said this month\u2019s prayer intention was created with the help of the Pontifical Academy for Life.<\/p>\n\n

His intention, pointed out the statement, calls for \u201can even more profound and subtle discernment\u201d regarding bioethics.<\/p>\n\n

Fr. Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Fornos, S.J., International Director of the Pope\u2019s Worldwide Prayer Network, said the Church always promotes respect for life from birth to natural death.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThese are necessary criteria for discernment which help us to leave behind a throw-away culture and which promote integral respect for human life\u2014the entire extent of human life, from birth to death,\u201d said Fr. Fornos. \u201cLet us pray that, in the face of the new challenges of bioethics, we may always promote the defense of life through prayer and social action.\u201d<\/p>\n\n