The bishops of Malta and Gozo, along with the bishops who are members of the Commission of the Bishops Conferences of the European Community (COMECE), said they were dismayed with the decision of the European Parliament, which promotes the instrumentalisation and destruction of human embryos.

On 15 June, the European Parliament approved the first reading of the 7th Research Framework Programme and called for European Union funding of research with human embryos and human embryonic stem cells.

“Together with the COMECE bishops, we are supportive of an effective EU research policy in the service of the common good. However, we are concerned that the European Parliament expressed itself in favour of research on human embryos and human embryonic stem cells when, in various member states of the EU, among them Malta, this type of research is not acceptable for ethical and moral reasons which touch on the protection of life and human dignity. With such a decision, the Union would interfere with delicate decisions which are exclusively the competence of each member state and therefore would also be against the principle of subsidiarity,” the bishops said.

They added that in no case can the Church agree with the funding of research on human embryos and human embryonic cells.

“The Church holds not only that such funding should not be allowed, but also that it is totally excluded. We, bishops, thank all those who, in the EU institutions, promote values which reflect the values that the Maltese people have always had at heart especially as regards human life and dignity.”