Cardinal Pell warns lawmakers on support for cloning

Sydney, Jun. 5, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, Australia, has urged all Catholic legislators to oppose a measure that would allow "therapeutic" cloning in New South Wales.

"It is a serious moral matter," the cardinal said. "Catholic politicians who vote for this legislation must realize that their voting has consequences for their place in the life of the Church."
Cardinal Pell told journalists that he was not threatening to excommunicate lawmakers who support the legislation. But he left open the possibility that he would deny Communion to those who voted for the bill. Anyone who supported the measure, he said, would be "certainly doing the wrong thing."

The cardinal's strong statement points toward a showdown with New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma, a Catholic who has announced his support for the legislation. The proposed legislation, which will be taken up by legislators this week, would allow the cloning of human embryos to be harvested for stem-cell research.
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