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Edited on Mon Aug-15-05 04:01 AM by DanCa
Holy See Uneasy About Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Interview With Foreign Envoys - 72
By Park Jung-youn
THE KOREA TIMES
The common title of Archbishop Emil Paul Tscherrig is Holy See
delegate to South Korea.Otherwise, Archbishop Tscherrig is officially called the Apostolic Nuncio, also known as Papal Nuncio, roughly synonymous with the Pope's delegate or the Pope's envoy in its English translation. The very phrase ``Holy See'' may sound strange to the ears of non-Catholics, for the term at a first glance looks like an adjective and a verb strangely conjoined. But once you are told that ``Holy See'' derives from the Latin word ``Sancta Sedes,'' which in English means ``Holy Chair,'' the definition of the title becomes easier to grasp. ``Holy Chair'' refers to the actual seat (or residence) of the supreme pastor of the Roman Catholic Church, together with the various ecclesiastical authorities who constitute the central administration _ namely, the Vatican. And this makes the Holy See Embassy somewhat unique from other embassies whose diplomatic role lies essentially in serving their individual national interests. On the other hand, the Holy See Embassy's interests are broader, lying fundamentally in the welfare of all ``sisters and brothers of Catholic beliefs,'' according to Archbishop Tscherrig.
The Apostolic Nuncio is sent by his holiness the Pope to cultivate
the relationship with people of the nation he is sent to, in the
context of Catholic Church,'' said Archbishop Tscherrig during an
interview with The Korea Times. Such efforts include granting people's rights for pastoral assistance and guidance for their religious activities and providing relief to the needy in accordance with Catholic doctrines. ``In a political term, our embassy represents the Holy See, the Vatican, a small state which is the central administration of the Catholic Church,'' he added.
The relationship between South Korea and Holy See goes all the way
back to 1947 when Patrick James Byrne was appointed the first Papal
representative to South Korea. However, it was not until 1967 that
the official embassy residence was established in central Seoul.
Archbishop Tscherrig was seated as the Apostolic Nuncio in November
of 2004, but it was not the first time he was sent to Seoul as a
papal delegate. Tscherrig was sent here from 1980 to 1984 during which time, he said, he witnessed one of the most troubled periods in modern Korean history. He recalls Korea undergoing the democratization process in the form of massive public demonstrations and violent clashes between the people and the government.
``I had great hopes about this nation as I left it,'' he said.
And when he returned to the country after nearly two decades, he saw
that dramatic changes had swept over the nation, particularly in
economic and technological areas, generally making conditions of
life better. And Tscherrig said keeping up with changes and the rapidity at which changes take place, is one of the biggest challenges that the Catholic Church faces today.
The Catholic Church tries to define its place and role through
``offering a way of life – Catholicism is not tyranny or this grand
rule imposed on people.'' Asked to comment on Catholic Church's stance on scientific inquiries particularly the recent scientific breakthroughs in stem cell research led by the Korean scientist Dr. Hwang Woo-suk, Tscherrig said that the Church is not against scientific advancement in general.
``We do not oppose adult stem-cell research, in fact, we have
supported any number of promising research opportunities in
biomedical fields,'' he responded. For one, a Catholic university based in Milan, Italy, has recently discovered, through clinical research using adult stem cells, potentially effective treatments for multiple sclerosis. However, the Church feels uneasy about research involving use of human embryos, according to the archbishop. ``We believe life starts at the moment of conception, and use of
embryo is, to us, the killing of a human being, robbing a human
being of his or her life,'' he said. ``Life is the most basic human right,'' he emphasized. Tscherrig followed the comments by adding that modern society acts contradictorily in many ways; while it fights to save lives in many ways, it also terminates lives, cutting off its tenure. And this is because people believe in the absolute freedom of men with every individual then ``becoming a God, deciding what is good and bad for themselves.'' Such a train of beliefs naturally leads people further to assume the freedom to decide for others, eventually to institutionalize a political, economic, cultural, and ethnic hegemony. ``And you know, that is when the conflicts and troubles begin, because we then become the dictator to our neighbors,'' Tscherrig said.
``What we are trying to promote is harmonious
co-existence, our basic principle being `Love thy neighbor as thou
lovest thyself.' '' This fosters honoring one's neighbor based on the belief that every life deserves to be respected, according to the archbishop. It is a way of life that he believes would do much good for a society that is too much bent on consumerism rather than
contributing. When Archbishop Tscherrig is not overseeing the Catholic Church administration, he says he enjoys reading Korean history books with special interest in the history of the Catholic Church in the Korean Peninsula. He is happy to be part of this moment of Korean history, and hopes the Church continues to be part of Korea, in which he sees so much promise. Asked if he has also read The Da Vinci Code, a best-selling fiction with controversial materials on Christianity, Tscherrig responded ``No, but of course I've heard about it,'' laughing before answering. ``I suppose people find that book fascinating. After all, it is an interesting work of mystery fiction,'' he added. ``It is the kind of fiction that puts doubt into people's heart, which people tend to enjoy.'' In his closing remark, he said that the appointment of another Korean Cardinal besides Cardinal Kim Su-hwan is still ``contingent upon circumstances,'' adding that Benedict XVI has only recently has been made a Pope, and the Pope would consider it when fully adjusted to his new position. The archbishop said, however, that Benedict XVI has a lot of respect and love for Korea, and still remembers it well from his 1984 and 1989 visits. `We shall wait and see,'' he said.
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