On May 17 and 18, the Congress entitled Jérôme Lejeune and the challenges of Bioethics in the 21st century which will take place in Rome coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the death of the Catholic scientist who discovered trisomy 21, the origin of Down Syndrome.
This is the second scientific meeting of its kind promoted by the International Chair of Bioethics, which bears the name of the father of modern genetics and was founded 15 years ago in Madrid (Spain) with the intention of providing training in biomedical ethics as a priority to Health professionals.
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The meeting will feature a telematic intervention by the Bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester (Minnesota, USA), Mons. Robert Barron, founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministriesand the members of the Pontifical Academy for Life Mónica López Barahona, president of the International Chair organizing the congress, and Jean-Marie Le Méné, president of the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation.
Le Méné will be in charge of giving the first conference on The scientific and moral legacy of Jérôme Lejeune. After him, the professor of Philosophy of Law at the University of Notre Dame (USA), Orlando Carter Snead, will discuss the relationship between natural law and contemporary bioethical challenges.
These two conferences will be followed throughout Friday by three round tables: The first will focus on The new frontiers of Biotechnology (referring to genetic editing, the so-called “three-parent embryo” interspecies chimeras). Next, congressmen will look at the evolution of medical care and research into genetically based intellectual disabilities. This series is completed by a reflection on the medical ethics of prenatal diagnosis.
The Spanish professor Elena Postigo, corresponding member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, will be in charge of exposing the bioethical issue surrounding Transhumanism and new forms of eugenics. The first day will conclude with a new round table focused on “ethical criteria at the end of human life, neonatal resuscitation and euthanasia, neonatal palliative care.”
Saturday’s session opens with a presentation by Father Alberto Carrara, LC, on the new frontiers of Neuroscience and Neuroethics, which will be followed by a reflection shared by several experts on The medical ethics of artificial procreation techniques.
A round table is also planned under the title Gender dysphoria in minors: an ethical problem? for which a phrase by Lejeune is proposed as a starting point: “The law does not contain all rights. Human nature exists and, whether we like it or not, we are obliged to take it into account.”
Jérôme Lejeune and Saint John Paul II
The biographer of Saint John Paul II, George Weigel, will be in charge of speaking on the relationship of the Polish Pope with the French scientist, as people who put their lives “at the service of Life.”
This conference will be preceded by another on The historical significance of Jérôme Lejeunewhich will be led by former member of the European Parliament Alberto Michelini and the postulator of the scientist’s canonization cause, Aude Dugast.
The closing speech will be given by the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, in which he will speak about Lejeune’s role in defending the poorest of the poor.
Nicholas de Cardenas
Born in 1980, I am a Spanish husband and father and journalist with more than 20 years of experience in print and digital media, specializing in sociopolitical and religious information. I have worked for more than 10 years in defense of human rights and have accreditations in Journalism and Comprehensive Communication. Since July 2022, I have been a correspondent for ACI Prensa and EWTN Noticias in Spain, covering international events of the Catholic Church.