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US President Barack Obama met the Pope today at the end of an economic summit of the world's top industrialized nations, and he was given some instruction from the top on the Catholic Church's position on bioethical issues.
In addition to giving Obama a copy of his latest encyclical, which the pope had been presenting to visiting heads of state since its release July 7, the pope also presented a copy of the Vatican document on biomedical ethics, "Dignitas Personae" ("The Dignity of a Person").
When presenting the gifts after their 35-minute closed-door meeting, the pope gave Obama a signed, white leather-bound copy of the encyclical, "Caritas in Veritate" ("Charity in Truth"), then indicated the light-green soft-cover instruction on bioethics issued last December by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
"Oh, what we discussed earlier," said Obama, referring to their closed-door discussions. "I will have some reading to do on the plane."
Obama was given the instruction to help him better understand the church's position on bioethics, Msgr. Georg Ganswein, papal secretary, told journalists in the pool covering the visit.
The Caritas in Veritate released Tuesday called for more ethics in economics and rules to reign in free market excesses.
The Dignitas Personae, released in December, was a sweeping update of the Vatican's bioethics code barring Catholics from using IVF, participating in medical research involving cloning or embryonic stem cells, banning surrogate mothers, the morning-after pill and the testing of embryos for defects. Hormone therapy, adult stem cell and sterility research are okay.
Obama's stance on abortion and embryonic stem cell research has not been popular with many devote Catholics, though more liberal Catholics rallied behind him in last fall's election.
US President Barack Obama met the Pope today at the end of an economic summit of the world's top industrialized nations, and he was given some instruction from the top on the Catholic Church's position on bioethical issues.
In addition to giving Obama a copy of his latest encyclical, which the pope had been presenting to visiting heads of state since its release July 7, the pope also presented a copy of the Vatican document on biomedical ethics, "Dignitas Personae" ("The Dignity of a Person").
When presenting the gifts after their 35-minute closed-door meeting, the pope gave Obama a signed, white leather-bound copy of the encyclical, "Caritas in Veritate" ("Charity in Truth"), then indicated the light-green soft-cover instruction on bioethics issued last December by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
"Oh, what we discussed earlier," said Obama, referring to their closed-door discussions. "I will have some reading to do on the plane."
Obama was given the instruction to help him better understand the church's position on bioethics, Msgr. Georg Ganswein, papal secretary, told journalists in the pool covering the visit.
The Caritas in Veritate released Tuesday called for more ethics in economics and rules to reign in free market excesses.
The Dignitas Personae, released in December, was a sweeping update of the Vatican's bioethics code barring Catholics from using IVF, participating in medical research involving cloning or embryonic stem cells, banning surrogate mothers, the morning-after pill and the testing of embryos for defects. Hormone therapy, adult stem cell and sterility research are okay.
Obama's stance on abortion and embryonic stem cell research has not been popular with many devote Catholics, though more liberal Catholics rallied behind him in last fall's election.
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