Pope’s March prayer intention: For a Christian response to bioethical challenges

By Devin Watkins

“Let us pray that we may give a Christian response to bioethical challenges.”

Pope Francis offered that invitation to Catholics in his prayer intention for the month of March.

He noted that science in the field of bioethics has made great advances in recent years, presenting a host of problems.

Christians, said the Pope, must respond to these challenges and not bury “our heads like an ostrich.”

He called for biotechnology to always be used “based on respect for human dignity.”

Careless attitude toward life

Pope Francis gave the example of the careless disposal of human embryos.

He also criticized how the search for profit conditions biomedical research, saying we must realize that profound changes are occurring and discern them well.

Guiding biotechnological advances, not curbing them

The Pope clarified that the Church never seeks to limit technological advances, but rather tries to accompany those advances.

“It’s about protecting both human dignity and progress,” he said. “That is to say, we cannot pay the price of human dignity for progress. Both go together, in harmony.”

Finally, Pope Francis prayed that the world might respect human dignity as it makes technological advances.

“We pray for Christians facing new bioethical challenges,” he urged. “May they continue to defend the dignity of all human life with prayer and action.”

Profound and subtle discernment

A press release accompanying The Pope Video—which is produced by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network—said this month’s prayer intention was created with the help of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

His intention, pointed out the statement, calls for “an even more profound and subtle discernment” regarding bioethics.

Fr. Frédéric Fornos, S.J., International Director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, said the Church always promotes respect for life from conception until natural death.

“These are necessary criteria for discernment which help us to leave behind a throw-away culture and which promote integral respect for human life—the entire extent of human life,” said Fr. Fornos. “Let us pray that, in the face of the new challenges of bioethics, we may always promote the defense of life through prayer and social action.”