Opening Address
Message of Greetings
I am pleased to extend my warmest greetings to all present here in Rome and to all those connected online. In a special way I would like to thank the speakers for their generous willingness to share the fruit of their efforts and investigations. The Pontifical Academy for Life is very pleased with the collaboration that has been established to organize these two days of work with the NCCR (Molecular System Engineering), the University of Basel, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and the Bambino Gesù Hospital in Rome, which is kindly hosting this year's conference.
I see it as a very positive fact that this conference is now in its second year, because that is exactly what we are aiming for again as an Academy. That is, the Academy cares not only about organizing events, however prestigious and interesting they may be, but also about accompanying processes that explore in depth the meaning of phenomena and thus also have a formative impact. And for this to happen, it is necessary to reflect on the scope of our research, the innovations that change social relations and the way of life.
This is why we are pleased to commit ourselves, together with other such prestigious institutions, to provide spaces where competent and open discussion can take place. We intend to establish a dialogue between not only different scientific disciplines, but also with humanistic knowledge (humanities), also making use of the resources that the great religious traditions can offer. We are convinced that only in this way can we promote a fruitful understanding between science and society. Indeed, there is a clear risk that scientific research and technological innovation will be experienced in a magical or threatening way - sometimes even rightly so, when what Pope Francis calls technocratic hegemony is realized (Laudato si', nn. 106-114). Avoiding this requires, on the one hand, that we all become more aware of the potential and limits of technoscience, and on the other, that scientific research not be governed only by market or control logics. It is essential to listen to people's needs, offering one's contribution to a human development that takes into account all aspects of personal and social living, that is, what we call integral human development.
In wishing you to keep this perspective in mind with determination and seriousness, I sincerely wish you a fruitful time of exchange and common reflection, which can have positive spin-offs for the good of the entire human family.
Rome, 18 November 2024
Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia
President of the Pontifical Academy for Life