VATICAN CITY, NOV 12, 2004 (VIS) - Made public today was a message from the Pope to the president of the Association of Italian Catholic Doctors, Domenico Di Virgilio, on the occasion of the organization's 23rd national congress.
In the Message, dated November 9, the Holy Father reaffirms the ethical principles on which the Hippocratic Oath are based: "There are no lives that are not worth living; there is no suffering, no matter how grave, that can justify killing a life; there are no reasons, no matter how noble, that make plausible the creation of human beings, destined to be used and destroyed."
"May the conviction that life must be promoted and defended from conception till natural death always inspire you in your decisions: what will distinguish you as Catholic doctors is precisely the defense of the inviolable dignity of every human being. May you never neglect the spiritual dimension of the human being in your work of safeguarding and promoting health."
After emphasizing that while scientific progress is "a formidable instrument for improving the conditions of life and well-being, it can also be enslaved to the will of abuse and dominion. Scientific research, by its very nature oriented to the good of man, runs the risk of losing its original vocation. No type of research can ignore the intangibility of every human being: to violate this barrier means to open up the doors to a new form of barbarity."
MESS/LIFE/ITALIAN CATHOLIC DOCTORS VIS 20041112 (250)
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