Pope Leo XIV has praised an international bioethics summit in Rome for advancing an “authentically human” approach to science, urging researchers to pursue truth grounded in the dignity of the human person.
Newsroom (June 01, 2025, 10:15, Gaudium Press) The Pope commended participants of the 3rd International Bioethics Conference for advancing an “authentically human” vision of science, urging researchers to ground their work in the inviolable dignity of the person. In a message delivered by Cardinal Pietro Parolin on May 31, the Pope lauded the gathering as a critical forum for ensuring scientific progress remains tethered to ethical truth.
A Summit Anchored in Truth
Held at Rome’s Patristicum Institute under the theme “The Splendor of Truth in Science and Bioethics,” the conference brought together nearly 400 scholars, physicians, and philosophers from across the globe. Organized by the Pontifical Academy for Life and the Dicastery for Culture and Education, the event spotlighted urgent moral questions in genetics, gender theory, and medical ethics.
“The Church looks with hope upon your efforts to foster interdisciplinary dialogue,” the Pope’s message stated, encouraging scientists to resist reductive materialism and uphold “the integrity of the person” in their research.
Cardinal Eijk’s Warning: “Science Without Metaphysics is Dangerous”
Cardinal Willem Eijk of Utrecht, a physician and theologian, opened the summit with a stark admonition: “When science discards metaphysics and anthropology, it loses its moral compass.” He outlined three non-negotiable principles for ethical research:
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The capacity of reason to grasp transcendent truth
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The limited autonomy of human beings
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The intrinsic value of every life
The Dutch cardinal also called for greater Church engagement on bioethical crises, including gender ideology and experimental transgender medical interventions – issues he argued are often “neglected” in mainstream discourse.
Philosophers Challenge Scientific Reductionism
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Juan Arana (Royal Academy of Moral Sciences, Spain) decried the modern “divorce between empirical science and philosophical truth,” urging a reunion of “great metaphysical truths with the small, measurable truths of labs.”
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Bernard Schumacher (University of Fribourg) critiqued the “tyranny of quantification” that reduces reality to data points.
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Thibaud Collin (Paris) proposed a revitalized natural law framework to counter ethical relativism.
Frontline Bioethics: From Genetics to Conscience Rights
Practical workshops addressed pressing dilemmas:
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Geneticist Teresa Perucho and neonatologist Robin Pierucci emphasized compassionate counseling for parents facing prenatal diagnoses, rejecting eugenic mindsets.
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Legal scholars debated protections for medical conscience rights, particularly for Catholic practitioners pressured to violate ethical principles.
Lejeune’s Legacy: “Science as Humble Pursuit of Truth”
The conference concluded with a tribute to Jérôme Lejeune – the Catholic geneticist who discovered Trisomy 21 and became a heroic defender of the unborn. Jean-Marie Le Méné, president of the Lejeune Foundation, invoked the scientist’s humility: “True researchers admit how little they know – and are awed by the intelligible mystery of life.”
Pope Leo XIV’s closing appeal resonated with Lejeune’s ethos: “May science serve humanity as a lamp of truth, never its master.” The summit’s success signals growing momentum for a Catholic bioethics that bridges empirical rigor with metaphysical wisdom – a vision increasingly urgent in an age of unchecked technological power.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from CNA
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