Pope Francis released his prayer intention for the month of March and asks the faithful to offer a Christian response to challenges presented by bioethical advances. The video to accompany was released on March 8, 2022, by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

“Let us pray that we may give a Christian response to bioethical challenges.”

He noted that science in the field of bioethics has made great advances in recent years, presenting a host of problems.

Following is the text of the video:

Let us pray that we may give a Christian response to bioethical challenges.

It is evident that science has progressed, and today the field of bioethics presents us with a series of problems to which we must respond, not hiding our head like an ostrich.

Applications of biotechnological must always be used based on respect for human dignity.

For example, human embryos cannot be treated as disposable material, to be discarded. This throw-away culture is also applied to them; no, that can’t be done. Extending that culture this way does so much harm.

Or allowing financial gain to condition biomedical research.

We need to understand the profound changes that are taking place with an even more profound and subtle discernment.

It’s not a matter of curbing technological advances. No, we must accompany them. It’s about protecting both human dignity and progress. That is to say, we cannot pay the price of human dignity for progress, no. Both go together, in harmony.

We pray for Christians facing new bioethical challenges; may they continue to defend the dignity of all human life with prayer and action.

The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer) addresses the challenges facing humanity and assists the mission of the Church. We pray and work to meet the challenges of the world identified by the Pope in his monthly intentions while walking a spiritual path called the “Way of the Heart.”