Embryo is a child with special relationship to God and parents, says Vatican official

Vatican City, Feb 26, 2006 / 22:00 pm

The President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Msgr. Elio Sgreccia, said last week the embryo is definitely “a child: a child with a special relationship with her parents, and for believers, a special relationship with God.”

During the presentation of the International Congress on the embryo, scheduled to take place at the Vatican of February 27 and 28, Msgr. Sgreccia said, “The embryo is the crucial center, whether for anthropology or for ethics,” epistemology and the whole of biology.

Msgr. Sgreccia noted that in 1987, then Cardinal Ratzinger underscored that from the moment of conception, the embryo is a human person that should be respected in all of his or her dignity.