Archbishop Fisichella considers Eluana "a positive...

Archbishop Rino Fisichella hopes that the media furor surrounding Eluana Englaro will provoke a societal affirmation of human dignity. The Italian press was singularly focused on the comatose woman as her food and water were withdrawn on February 6th, leading to her death by cardiac arrest three days later."It was a provocation—a positive provocation in order to understand that there is a dignity for everybody. We cannot say that there is not dignity in every state of life. (...) If we have a provocation for a new culture of life, then probably with the help of several institutions in the society, probably we can have also the possibilty of new beautiful and useful laws."On February 20th the President of the Pontifical Academy for Life opened its 15th General Assembly. This year's congress, titled “The New Frontiers of Genetics and the Risk of Eugenics”, examined both the great healing potential of genetic medicine and the corresponding threats of genetic manipulation and eugenic discrimination."Well, just in the name eugenics, there's something that belongs to ethics. So we can do something very important. From one hand, we have the possibility to show that science can have its own progress. On the other hand, we can also say that science without ethics doesn't have any progress for anyone."The Pontifical Academy for Life congress concluded on February 21st with an audience with Pope Benedict XVI.