Pope says Italian bishops oppose referendum out of concern for life

Published: 2005-05-31

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI spoke publicly about Italy's June 12-13 referendum on artificial reproduction and human embryonic research, giving the Italian bishops' boycott campaign a powerful boost. The bishops' "clear and concrete" commitment to educating voters was a "sign of the pastors' concern for every human being, which can never be reduced to a means, but is an end," the pope said May 30 in a speech to hundreds of participants of the general assembly of the Italian bishops' conference in the synod hall at the Vatican. Led by the president of the Italian bishops' conference, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, many of the country's church leaders are calling for Italian voters to boycott the mid-June referendum that seeks to lift certain restrictions on artificial reproduction and research on human embryos. A referendum's proposals must draw 50 percent plus one of all eligible voters in order for the resulting vote to be declared valid.

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