‘Embryonic Research Unacceptable’
By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter
The top envoy from the Holy See in Seoul said that Koreans seem not to have a full understanding of the role of the Holy See Embassy, which is different from that of other foreign embassies.
``The Embassy of the Holy See does not issue visas to Koreans, for example,’’ Archbishop Emil Paul Tscherrig, ambassador of the Holy See, told The Korea Times. ``Visa inquiry should be made to the Italian Embassy as the Vatican City State is in Rome.’’
The 60-year-old career diplomat said that many Jesuit universities, which belong to the Vatican, are outside the Vatican but in Rome. So the universities are extraterritorial, according to the ambassador.
But if there is a Korean student who would like to enter a Jesuit university in Rome, he or she may be recommended to the Italian Embassy in Seoul for a visa by the Holy See Embassy, he added.
In addition to visas, the ambassador expressed his hope that Koreans would learn the difference between the Holy See and Vatican City State as they are often confused here.
``The Holy See refers to the supreme Authority of the Catholic Church and therefore is the central government while the Vatican City State came into existence with the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy in 1929 in order to guarantee independence and freedom of the central government.’’
He added that between 1870 and 1929 when the State of the Vatican City did not exist, the Holy See maintained diplomatic relations with many states, which shows that it is inaccurate to call the Vatican Embassy instead of the Holy See Embassy just because the Holy See is inside the Vatican.
However, the foreign relations of the Holy See are not that different from those of other countries. The Holy See has diplomatic relations with 172 nations, and it does not establish ties with countries where freedom of religion is not observed including Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, China and North Korea.
Tscherrig, who began his diplomatic career in 1974, has a two-fold mission here. He represents the Pope not only to the Korean government but also to the Catholic Bishops Conference of Korea.
He stressed that bilateral relations are very special by mentioning several examples.
``Although diplomatic relations with the Republic of Korea were established only in 1963, the Holy See has had a permanent representative in Korea since 1947,’’ he said. ``The first envoy, Bishop Patrick Byrne was arrested by North Korean troops near Myongdong Cathedral in 1950 in July, and died in a North Korean prison camp in November of the same year.’’
He also mentioned the two visits to Korea by late Pope John Paul II in 1984 and 1989 and the visit of former President Kim Dae-jung and President Roh Moo-hyun in 2000 and 2007. ``The bilateral relationship surpasses the `diplomatic’ dimension,’’ he added.
Turning to the topic of stem cell research, the ambassador made clear the Holy See’s position on the matter.
He stressed that the Catholic church does not oppose stem cell research itself saying, ``The Catholic church actively supports adult stem cell research and promising research centers are in institutions of the Church worldwide.’’
``However, the human embryo has to be regarded as a human person and must be defended in its totality like any other human being. So embryonic stem cell research is unacceptable even if the intention should be a good one for the development of new therapies.’’
The ambassador, who has closely watched stem cell research in Korea since his arrival in Seoul in May, 2004, handed a letter by Pope Benedict XVI to President Roh last February, expressing his concerns, ``Sadly, the modern world is marked by an increasing number of threats to the dignity of human life.’’
Tscherrig noted that Koreans need to understand that the human embryo is a life just as they traditionally respect the life of an unborn by adding one more year to the date of birth.
While adult stem cells can be extracted without doing harm to a human life, for example through bone-marrow transplantation, embryonic stem cells require the killing of an embryo if it is to be extracted, according to current technology.
Lastly, he said that to threaten a life cannot be decided by government policy because the mission of the government is to protect it.