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This news may raise a few eyebrows but as The Anchoress says: You would only expect the Catholic Church to be “the last organization” to fund stem cell research if you were getting your news from bigtime-professional-new outfits and Democrat political campaigns.

Amen.

Vatican, University of Maryland enter stem cell research partnership

With the financial backing of the Vatican, University of Maryland researchers will lead an international group of scientists to study adult stem cells from the intestines with the hope of discovering treatments for diseases while bypassing the ethical debates that have embroiled such research for a decade.

The partnership, known as the International Intestinal Stem Cell Consortium, brings together researchers from the Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at the University of Maryland; the University of Salerno, Bambino Gesu — an Italian children’s hospital; and the Istituto Superiore di Sanita — the Italian equivalent of the National Institutes of Health.

This is not the first time the Roman Catholic Church has funded stem cell research, said Richard Doerflinger, associate director of pro-life activities at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Catholic dioceses in South Korea and Australia have supported adult stem cell research with grant money, he said.
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“The Vatican has been very interested in adult stem cell research for many years,” he said. “I think it’s a logical outgrowth of the church’s interest in this field and of promoting ethically sound and beneficial stem cell research.”

The exact amount of the grant is being determined, but University of Maryland researchers said the Vatican agreed to fund $2.7 million, which will go directly to the University of Salerno’s Medical School Foundation to be distributed to the project partners.

Maryland researchers say the Vatican award shows the Catholic Church stands behind scientific research while supporting a type of stem cell study that holds great possibilities.

But it is also clear that the Vatican encourages the research because it does not involve embryonic stem cells, which the Catholic Church and religious conservatives have long opposed because such study involves destroying embryos.