ecosystemwithout payingdue attention to the consequences of such interference in other areas”.
109
He
made it clear that the Church values the benefits which result “from the study and applications of
molecular biology, supplemented by other disciplines such as genetics, and its technological
application in agriculture and industry”.
110
But he also pointed out that this should not lead to
“indiscriminate genetic manipulation”
111
which ignores the negative effects of such interventions.
Human creativity cannot be suppressed. If an artist cannot be stopped from using his or her creativity,
neither should those who possess particular gifts for the advancement of science and technology be
prevented from using their God-given talents for the service of others. We need constantly to rethink
the goals, effects, overall context and ethical limits of this human activity, which is a form of power
involvingconsiderable risks.
132. This, then, is the correct framework for any reflection concerning human intervention on plants
and animals, which at present includes genetic manipulation by biotechnology for the sake of
exploiting the potential present in material reality. The respect owed by faith to reason calls for close
attention to what the biological sciences, through research uninfluenced by economic interests, can
teach us about biological structures, their possibilities and their mutations. Any legitimate intervention
will act on nature only in order “to favour its development in its own line, that of creation, as intended
byGod”.
112
133. It is difficult tomake a general judgement about geneticmodification (GM), whether vegetable
or animal, medical or agricultural, since these vary greatly among themselves and call for specific
considerations. The risks involved are not always due to the techniques used, but rather to their
improper or excessive application. Genetic mutations, in fact, have often been, and continue to be,
caused by nature itself. Nor aremutations caused by human intervention amodern phenomenon. The
domestication of animals, the crossbreeding of species and other older and universally accepted
practices can be mentioned as examples. We need but recall that scientific developments in GM
cereals beganwith the observationof natural bacteriawhich spontaneouslymodified plant genomes. In
109
Message for the1990WorldDayof Peace
, 6:AAS 82 (1990), 150.
110
Address to thePontificalAcademy of Sciences
(3October1981), 3:
Insegnamenti
4/2 (1981), 333.
111
Message for the1990WorldDayof Peace
, 7:AAS 82 (1990), 151.
112
JOHN PAUL II,
Address to the 35
th
General Assembly of theWorldMedical Association
(29October 1983), 6: AAS 76
(1984), 394.
