Pope Meets Bush, Condemns Stem-Cell Research

July 23, 2001 -- In their first meeting, Pope John Paul II today urged President Bush to "reject" embryonic stem-cell research, and Bush promised to take the pope's view into consideration as he weighs a much-anticipated decision on federal funding.

"A free and virtuous society, which America aspires to be, must reject practices that devalue and violate human life at any stage from conception to natural death," the pontiff told Bush following a closed-door meeting at Castel Gandolfo, the pope's summer residence.

"I'll take that point of view into consideration as I make up my mind on a very difficult issue confronting the United States of America," the president said later at a joint news conference with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. "I do care about the opinions of people — particularly someone as profound as the Holy Father."

Pope Warns of 'Coarsening of Consciences'

Scientists say embryonic stem-cell research could lead to cures for diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other diseases, as well as new, more effective treatments for debilitating brain and spinal cord injuries.

But the Roman Catholic Church and many conservative U.S. lawmakers who are opposed to abortion say the studies are immoral because they use cells extracted from human embryos, which are destroyed in the process.

"Experience is already showing how a tragic coarsening of consciences accompanies the assault on innocent human life in the womb, leading to accommodation and acquiescence in the face of other related evils such as euthanasia, infanticide and, most recently, proposals for the creation for research purposes of human embryos destined to destruction in the process," John Paul said this morning.

The Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Norfolk, Va., announced earlier this month that it has and would continue to create embryos specifically for the purpose of stem-cell research. But proponents of the research, including a handful of senators and congressmen who oppose abortion, point out that thousands of embryos left over from in vitro fertilization treatments are routinely discarded by fertility clinics.

Bush Nears Stem-Cell Decision

Bush is nearing a decision on whether to allow the government to fund the controversial, but potentially groundbreaking biomedical research.

"I take this issue very seriously because it is an issue that, on the one hand, deals with so much hope — hope that perhaps through research and development we'll be able to save lives," the president said today. "It's also an issue that has got serious moral implications and our nation must think carefully before we proceed."

The pope, whose staunch opposition to the research was already well known, was unambiguous today as he counseled the president on how to proceed.

"In defending the right to life in law, … America can show a world the path to a truly humane future in which man remains the master, not the product of his technology," he said.

Bush has met privately with dozens of people on both sides of the issue, including bioethicists, leading anti-abortion activists and representatives of people with various decisions, as he considers the issue. He was expected to announce his decision before leaving for Europe last week, but is said by administration officials to be "agonizing" over what is clearly an ethical dilemma for him.

"It's the need to balance value and respect for life with the promise of science and the hope of saving life," the president said today, adding, "I frankly do not care what the political polls say."

President 'Honored' to Be in Pontiff's Presence

Bush, a deeply religious Methodist, said he was "honored … to be in the presence of the Holy Father."

"It was a moment that I was looking forward to because of his profound impact on the world," said the president. "I'm not poetic enough to describe what it's like to be in his presence, nor was I surprised to hear his strong, consistent message of life.

"One of the things about the Catholic Church that I admire — it's a church that stands on consistent and solid principle," he added.

Bush's anti-abortion stance is consistent with the church's views, but his ardent support of the death penalty is not.

The president is on the sixth day of a weeklong trip to Europe — his second as president.