Vatican City, Feb 17, 2009 / 09:59 am
Recognizing that the field of genetics contains both signs of promise and peril, the Vatican is hosting a congress this Friday and Saturday to examine the burgeoning field. "The aim of this congress is to verify whether, in the field genetic experimentation, there are aspects that tend towards - or effectively implement - eugenic practices," said Archbishop Rino Fisichella.
The February 20-21 congress is entitled, "New frontiers of genetics and the dangers of eugenics," and is being promoted by the Pontifical Academy for Life. The gathering is being held as academy’s twenty- fifth general assembly and will take place in the Vatican's New Synod Hall.
Organizers held a press conference at the Vatican’s press office today to discuss the purpose of the event. Participating in today's presentation were Archbishop Rino Fisichella and Msgr. Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, respectively president and chancellor of the Pontifical Academy for Life, and Bruno Dallapiccola, professor of genetic medicine at Rome's "La Sapienza" University.
Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, explained that the congress will bring together scientists from "a number of universities" to examine genetics from numerous angles: from "the strictly biomedical to the legal; from the philosophical and theological to the sociological."