A senior member of the Vatican has drawn up a new list of mortal sins
A senior member of the Vatican has drawn up a new list of mortal sins,
and science features prominently. Not all of science of course, but Catholic
researchers might face some tough choices.

In an interview with the Vatican?s newspaper L'Osservatore Romano,
senior cleric Gianfranco Girotti, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary which
is in charge of confession, was asked ?What are the new sins in your
opinion?? Along with drug use and social injustice he listed genetic
manipulation and experiments on humans.

Girotti also gave a speech on the subject and is quoted in the Times
as saying, ?You offend God not only by stealing, blaspheming or coveting
your neighbour?s wife, but also by ruining the environment, carrying out
morally debatable scientific experiments, or allowing genetic manipulations
which alter DNA or compromise embryos.?

Here is what the Google translator made of part of Girotti?s statement
to L'Osservatore:

There are several areas in which today feel sinful attitudes
towards individual rights and social issues. First, the area of bioethics
within which we can not fail to denounce violations of certain fundamental
rights of human nature through experiments, genetic manipulation, whose
outcome is difficult to discern and control.

Some newspapers appear to have done some creative accounting on this
article, making it into ?seven new deadly sins?. These are ?genetic
modification, carrying out experiments on humans, polluting the environment,
causing social injustice, causing poverty, becoming obscenely wealthy and
taking drugs were all mortal sins? in the Daily Telegraph. Down in Australia
they are ?polluting, genetic engineering, obscene riches, taking drugs,
abortion, pedophilia and causing social injustice? in the Sydney Morning
Herald.

While the Vatican has previously been hostile towards certain aspects
of research ? such work involving human embryos ? Girotti?s statement
appears to widen the net and up the stakes. Making these mortal sins, rather
than just lesser, ?venial sins? which don?t necessarily condemn you to Hell,
could make things rather more difficult for Catholics working in these
areas, or even working with people who are.
[www.nature.com]