The newly revised statutes for the Pontifical Academy for Life no
longer require members to sign a declaration that they will follow
Church teachings on the sanctity of human life, the LifeSite News
service reports.Pope Francis issued new statutes for the Pontifical Academy for Life in October.
The Pontiff has sought to shift the focus of the office, and the new statutes—while retaining a commitment to “the defense of the dignity of each single human being”—also adds a mandate for the Pontifical Academy to environmental concerns.
The statutes call for promotion of “an authentic ‘human ecology, which may help to recover the original balance of Creation between the human person and the entire universe.”
The old statutes, issued in 2004, required members of the Pontifical Academy who work in medical and scientific fields to sign a “Declaration of the Servants of Life.”
That requirement has been eliminated in the new statutes.
The Declaration included a commitment to reject “destructive research on the embryo or fetus, elective abortion, or euthanasia.”