Monday July 23 7:38 AM ET
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Pope John Paul II gestures from the balcony as he talks with President George W. Bush at the Pope's summer residence in Castelgandolfo, Italy, July 23, 2001. The Pope warned Bush of the 'evils' of stem-cell research using embryos and spoke of the right to life and dangers of globalization. (Vatican via Reuters) |
By Philip Pullella
CASTELGANDOLFO, Italy (Reuters) - Pope John Paul on Monday warned George W. Bush of the ``evils'' of stem-cell research, as the U.S. president deliberates over whether to permit federal funding for such work.
After a 35-minute private meeting in the Pope's summer residence in Castelgandolfo, a town perched above a lake in the Alban hills about 12 miles south of Rome, the Pope and Bush gave brief speeches.
In a strong voice, the 81-year-old pontiff warned Bush of ''evils such as euthanasia, infanticide and, most recently, proposals for the creation for research purposes of human embryos, destined to destruction in the process.''
Bush is currently grappling with a decision on whether to permit federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research. He said last week he was still studying the issue, and needed to hear all sides and fully understand the ramifications.
Advocates believe research with embryonic stem cells, the early master cells formed soon after a human egg is fertilized, could lead to medical advances.
Opponents, including the Roman Catholic Church, condemn research that destroys human embryos.
The aging pontiff also took the opportunity to speak out against the death penalty, which Bush supports.
``A free and virtuous society, which America aspires to be, must reject practices that devalue and violate human life at any stage from conception until natural death,'' he said.
During Bush's six years as governor of Texas, the state carried out 152 executions, the highest rate in the United States.
Under his presidency, U.S. federal authorities resumed executions after a 38-year hiatus. Two men have been put to death.
| President George W. Bush reads a statement as Pope John Paul II listens at the Pope's country retreat, Castelgandolfo, July 23, 2001. In a speech following a 35 minute private meeting, John Paul warned Bush of the 'evils' of stem-cell research and also warned of the shortcomings of globalization, which he said can cause divisions in the world. (Win McNamee/Reuters) | 
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BUSH STAYS AWAY FROM CONTROVERSY
Speaking to his wife Laura and daughter Barbara -- both clad in black and wearing mantillas for their meeting with Pope -- Bush said in the presence of journalists he had had a ``very good discussion'' with the pontiff.
The president, fresh from a Group of Eight summit in Genoa which was overshadowed by violence and the death of an anti-capitalist protester, avoided controversial issues.
``You have urged men and women of good will to take to their knees before God and to stand, unafraid, before tyrants,'' said Bush, who like the Pope gave his speech seated at a microphone.
``And this has added greatly to the momentum of freedom in our time.
``Where there is oppression you speak of human rights, where there is poverty you speak of justice and hope. Where there is ancient hatred, you defend and display a tolerance that reaches beyond every boundary of race and nation and belief,'' he said.
The Pope warned that many were excluded from the benefits of globalization. ''The church cannot but express profound concern that our world continues to be divided, no longer by the former political and military blocks, but by a tragic fault line between those who can benefit from these opportunities and those who seem cut off from them,'' said the Pope.
The Pope on Sunday condemned the violence in Genoa, saying it was not the right path to justice.
� 1997
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