|TOP|Embryos are seen by God as “full and complete” humans, Pope Benedict said Wednesday, underlining the Roman Catholic Church’s firm stance against abortion and embryonic stem-cell research.

“The loving eyes of God look on the human being, considered full and complete at its beginning,” Benedict said in his weekly address to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square, according to Reuters.

Quoting Psalm 139, Benedict said the Bible teaches the sanctity of each human life – including those unborn.

“It is extremely powerful, the idea in this psalm, that in this ’unformed’ embryo God already sees the whole future,” Benedict said, taking from the passage that reads, “Thou didst see my limbs unformed in the womb, and in thy book they are all recorded.”

“In the Lord’s book of life, the days that this creature will live and will fill with works during his time on earth are already written,” the pontiff said.

|AD|Benedict’s year-end message follows in-line with that of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, who in his 2005 New Year’s message said the Vatican would focus on protecting life.

During his traditional New Year’s message on January 10, 2005, John Paul set out the Vatican’s priorities as tackling abortion, cloning, gay marriage, assisted procreation, and embryonic stem-cell research.

“The human embryo is a subject identical to the human being, which will be born at the term of its development,” he had said.

Pope Benedict had already weighed-in on the issue as well, publicly supporting a pro-life group that wants to have access to counseling centers advising women seeking to terminate pregnancy. Benedict also touched on the matter in his Christmas Eve mass on Saturday, saying the love of God shines on each child, “even those still unborn.”








Elaine Spencer
Christian Today Correspondent