Vatican board asked to resign over conference

[Dale_M]

Members of the Vatican's bioethics advisory panel have called for its board to resign after scientists who don't support core church teaching on issues like birth control and infertility were featured at its annual conference.

The members said the Pontifical Academy of Life's Feb. 24 conference on diagnosing and treating infertility was a "Planned Parenthood-like meeting" that caused great scandal. They were upset because it was a Vatican meeting open to the public yet "consisted in promoting uncritically what the church teaches to be intrinsically bad."

In the past, the academy has tended to invite only like-minded professionals to speak at its conferences, ensuring that its proceedings, papers and discussions reflect church teaching. Members say this is designed to give the faithful the best in scientific information that is in-line with Catholic doctrine.

Under the academy's new head, Monsignor Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, there seems to be a new openness however to engage with non-likeminded scientists while holding true to church teaching on the need to defend life from conception until natural death.

http://news.yahoo.com/vatican-board-...FnZQ--;_ylv=3\

Two subsequent conferences to be hosted by the Pontifical Academy for Life were cancelled in the wake of the controversy.

In March, the academy canceled a planned conference on adult stem cells, which was due to feature speakers who also support embryonic research. Conference organizers went on to distance the academy from “some pro-life activists,” while giving varying explanations for the cancellation.

It was at this same gathering that the academy announced its April 2012 meeting on adult stem cells. Although that conference was later canceled, some members saw the entire incident – including the reasons given for the cancellation – as a betrayal of the pontifical academy's mission.

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/ne...-life-academy/

The heart of the controversy is whether the Academy should have speakers who advance positions contrary to Church teachings.

[manualman]

It's a fine line to tread. On the one hand, one must evaluate objective information and input from all sources in order to be able to discern truth from error. On the other hand, one must not allow those who espouse clearly sinful practices to use the church's public pulpit to enhance their own credibility.

We've seen all too often how activists try hard to exploit their catholic identity to legitimize the morality of something that simply isn't. They must be stopped from doing so, but not at the cost of refusing to listen to input from all sides.

Those in the position of having to walk that tightrope have my sympathies!