POPE SAYS UNIVERSITIES THAT FLOUT CHURCH TEACHING ON ABORTION ARE NOT CATHOLIC

VATICAN, December 5, 2002 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Today, Pope John Paul II addressed a conference on “Globalization and Catholic Universities,” organized jointly by the Congregation for Catholic Education and the International Federation of Catholic Universities.  In his remarks, the Pope stressed that “It is clear that university centers that do not respect the Church’s laws and the teaching of the Magisterium, especially in bioethics, cannot be defined as Catholic universities.”  Beyond abortion, the Pope spoke of faithfulness to church teaching on “the big questions in bioethics, such as the statute of the human embryo and stem cells, today the object of disturbing experiments and manipulations, not always moral or scientifically justified.”  Professors and students, he said, “are called to bear clear witness to their faith before the scientific community, showing their commitment to the truth and their respect for the human person. For Christians, research must in effect be undertaken in the light of faith, rooted in prayer, listening to the Word of God, in Tradition and in the teaching of the Magisterium.”  John Paul II emphasized that Catholic universities “have the duty to live the teaching of the Magisterium in the different fields of research in which they are involved, while preserving their scientific autonomy.” He said university authorities have the obligation to “be vigilant in maintaining rectitude and Catholic principles in teaching and research in the heart of their university. ”  See the Pope’s full address (In Italian):  https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/2002/december/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_20021205_fiuc_it.html