Cardinal Pell Receives International Pro-Life Award

By Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney

18/1/2008

The Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, has been recognised internationally for his work in support of the pro-life cause.

The Mysterium Vitae (Mystery of Life) Grand Prix award is conferred annually by the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul in South Korea.

Cardinal Pell received the award from the Archbishop of Seoul, His Eminence Cardinal Nicholas Cheong, at a ceremony attended by over 400 people in central Seoul last night.

Cardinal Pell is the first recipient of this award. In 2007, the Archdiocese of Seoul honoured six people for their pro-life work including Professor Mary Ann Glendon of Harvard University, who late last year was confirmed as US ambassador to the Holy See.

“The name of this prize is particularly well chosen,” Cardinal Pell said.

“The life of each human being is a mystery which we should contemplate with reverence and awe. Nobody has the right to violate this mystery, no matter what reasons are offered for doing so.

“We need to remember that every human life is unique and irreplaceable. Discriminating against individuals or destroying human life on the grounds of race, sex, religion, disability, illness, or stage of development is not only a grave injustice - it also undermines human rights and social justice, and makes the task of building good societies harder.”

Cardinal Pell said the award’s prize money – approximately $A120,000 - would be used to further pro-life initiatives.

He paid tribute to Cardinal Cheong for his own efforts in promoting the cause of life in Korea.

“It is an immense honour to receive this prize, and I am particularly delighted to receive it from Cardinal Cheong who has himself given such distinguished and effective leadership to pro-life efforts in his region.

“In 2005, for example, Cardinal Cheong committed $US10 million to the establishment of the Catholic Institute of Cell Therapy in Seoul to support adult stem cell research.

“The year before the Institute was established, 60% of government and private funding for stem cell research was directed to embryonic stem cells and cloning.

“This situation has now been reversed, with 60% of funding from all sources last year going to adult stem cell work.

“The success of the Catholic Institute of Cell Therapy’s research and clinical work has played a decisive part in a major shift towards ethical research, and shows what is possible in science when investors and government are not blinded by ideology.

“Cardinal Cheong and his collaborators are creating new and effective ways of promoting a culture of life from which the Church throughout the world, and in Australia, can learn.”

The Mysterium Vitae Grand Prix was awarded to Cardinal Pell for contributions such as:

• the founding of the Australian campus of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and the Family while he was Archbishop of Melbourne
• the establishment of Life Offices in the Archdioceses of Melbourne and Sydney
• the creation of the Archdiocese of Sydney’s biannual grant of $A100,000 to support adult stem cell research in Australia
• the formation of a support service for pregnant women in Sydney; and
• the role he has played in defending human life from conception to natural death in public debates, such as the debate over the legalisation of cloning.

The full text of the address Cardinal Pell delivered after receiving the award, “Ascent or Descent? Wonder or Horror?” can be found at www.sydney.catholic.org.au