By Gudrun Schultz
VATICAN CITY, May 17, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pope Benedict XVI spoke out against artificial fertilization methods, saying Christian families must bear witness that procreation is the fruit of love, in an address to the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Family.
Referring to the “extremely delicate subject” of “the respect due to the human embryo, which should always be born from an act of love and be treated as a person,” the Holy Father warned that “[s]cientific and technological progress in the field of bioethics becomes a threat when man loses the sense of his own limitations and, in effect, aims to take the place of God the Creator.”
Referring to Pope Paul VI’s Encyclical “Humanae vitae,” he said, “human procreation must always be the fruit of a conjugal act with its dual unitive and procreative significance.”
Pope Benedict called on legislators and politicians to oppose same-sex unions and safeguard the rights of the family, saying, “We know that there are increasing juridical measures authorizing so-called ‘de facto’ unions which, while refusing the obligations of marriage, still wish to enjoy the same rights. Moreover, at times it is even sought to arrive at a new definition of marriage, legalizing homosexual unions and giving them the right to adopt children.”
See related LifeSiteNews coverage:
Benedict XVI: Marriage is a Real Good for Society
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/may/06051508.html