NEW YORK, October 5, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, secretary for the Holy See’s Relations with States, spoke at the general debate of the 59th session of the United Nations General Assembly Friday. While he focussed his talk on the Holy See position on several of the themes on the agenda of the General Assembly, he concluded with remarks on the right to life, calling it the most basic of all rights. “Among the fundamental rights, or rather foremost among them, as the Universal Declaration explicitly states, is the right to life of every individual,” said Archbishop Lajolo. Recalling that the General Assembly debate on human cloning will resume in a few weeks, Archbishop Lajolo stressed the Vatican support for ethical alternatives to the immoral practice of embryonic stem cell research. “In this respect the Holy See is pleased to reaffirm its commitment to support the advancement of medical science, conducted always in a manner that respects human dignity, because it offers healing and cure for various diseases,” he said.
He concluded, “With this end in view, the Holy See reiterates its support for the procurement and use of adult stem cells, and believes that the way forward is to draw up and implement a clear Convention that will result in a comprehensive ban on human cloning.” See the full address: https://www.holyseemission.org/30sept2004.html
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