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120 Rosedale Valley Road Apartment 401 Toronto, Ontario M4W 1P8 (416) 925-4814 Fax: (416) 925-8146 E-mail: [log in to unmask] The Cardinal Archbishop of Philadelphiia, His Eminence Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua made the mistake most apologists for doctrine make when they attempt to rebut the case made for stem cell research, foetal transplants or other potential therapies involving the human reproductive system. They ignore the context in which Christ performed the miracles ascribed to Him. Citing just one example, Matthew, 4:24, "... and they brought unto him ... and those that had the palsy; and he healed them." Ordinary, everday illnesses were not cured, those which the passage of time would cure. Intractable conditions were. The other factor which should be born in mind is that compassion and love were Christ's motivating factors. William Temple, the great modern Archbishop of Canterbury said :"It is a mistake to suppose that God is only, or even chiefly, concerned with religon." I take Temple's statement to mean that God is concerned with humanity, not with how we organize ourselvesto relate to Him. Stem cell research is not a cure for any disease or condition; it is a promising field of investigation which should be pursued. Willa Cather, in her novel, "Death Comes for the Archbishop", defines miracles in the following way:"The miracles of the Church seem to me not to rest not so much upon faces or voices or healing power coming sudenly near to us from afar off, but upon our perceptions being made finer , so that for a moment our eyes may see and our ears may hear what is there about us always." God's revelation to us is continous, occurring today as well as in Biblical times Yours truly, Willliam A. Harshaw