Sunday, June 17, 2007

Pell's stem cell vote warning 'hypothetical'

The Catholic Archbishop of Sydney says his comments on the recent debate on stem cell research in New South Wales were misrepresented.

Cardinal George Pell warned Catholic MPs they faced consequences in the church if they supported the bill that would allow therapeutic cloning.

He has told ABC Radio's Sunday Profile he set out the classic Catholic position that a violation of moral principles had consequences in relation to God and the church.

Cardinal Pell says his warning that Catholic MPs who voted for the Bill could be refused Holy Communion was hypothetical.

"No no, I never outlined that except as a hypothetical possibility," he said.

"What I did say was, human actions and public actions have public consequences and that we would cross those bridges if and when we come to them."

The full interview can be heard tonight on Sunday Profile, where Cardinal Pell also responds to the Greens' call for a parliamentary inquiry into his comments.

The New South Wales Upper House Privileges Committee is investigating whether the comments made by Cardinal Pell were in contempt of Parliament.

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