Recently, the head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace spoke out about the problems of genetically modified crops to produce food. While some may question why the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace would be concerned about that, the cardinal who heads that council comes from Africa, where the issue of food production is a major social justice issue.
In his comments, he said that making growers reliant on proprietary, genetically modified seeds smacks of "the usual game of economic dependence," which in turn, "stands out like a new form of slavery." He said, "Why force an African farmer to buy seeds produced in other lands and by other means? I'm beginning to wonder if behind this there isn't the usual game of maintaining economic dependence at all costs." He went on to say that he is not opposed to scientific and technological progress, but it's important to evaluate whether there is a real need for genetically modified crops.
His comments appeared in the January 5 issue of the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano. A news story about his comments was carried by Catholic News Service and can be found at http://bit.ly/gJA9RZ.
Copyright © 2011, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins.
