Vatican City, Feb 18, 2004 / 22:00 pm
The Pontifical Academy for Life opened this morning its 10º General Assembly in the Vatican. The theme of this year’s meeting is “The Dignity of Human Procreation and Reproductive Technologies: Anthropological and Ethical Aspects.”
The experts opened their meeting with a Mass to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the academy’s founding by Pope John Paul II.
The Holy See informed that the assembly, which will end on February 22, has scheduled morning and afternoon sessions during which 26 Roman Curia officials, doctors and experts in genetics, bioethics, medical ethics, human reproduction, moral theology and psychology will make presentations. An audience with the Holy Father is also scheduled.
Each work day will start with Mass in the chapel of the St. Martha Residence in the Vatican. Today’s morning session focused on the spiritual and moral figure of the academy’s first president, Prof. Jerome LeJeune, who died shortly after being named to this position, and on the teachings of Pope John Paul II on human life. A concert is scheduled for the afternoon.