Without mention of socioeconomic facts and reiterating biotech industry talking points about GMOs, last year’s workshop of Islamic scholars wholeheartedly approved of agricultural biotechnology. However, conclusions of the workshop are questionable.
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Cows producing human breast milk?! Hold the laughter, this story is real. Scientists in China and Argentina genetically modified cows to produce human breast milk. Milk and cookies, anyone? Cardinal Turkson, the head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, discussed GMOs in an interview with the Vatican newspaper. 
The recently released WikiLeaks cables confirm Vatican’s secret support for GMOs and demonstrate the critical role U.S. diplomacy plays in the spread of biotechnology. 
Several scientists at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences recently released a statement fully backing GMOs. While the Holy See tried to distance itself from these statements, recent WikiLeaks revelations belie the Vatican’s claim to neutrality. 
With Non GMO Month around the corner, let’s return to the basics: why avoid GMOs? Among concerns, human and animal health, environmental impact, morals and ethics, socioeconomic issues, and food labeling. 
While the Christian perspective on GMOs has never been uniform, the recent changes in the Vatican’s leadership may signal a change in the perspective of the Holy See on GMOs. We examine the Vatican’s official “no position” on GMOs. 
Comments made by Cardinal Martino, as described more fully below, suggest to many that the Vatican has either endorsed the use of GMOs or, at a minimum, welcomed the idea of using GMOs as a way to address world hunger. Because there are unknown risks with GMOs with respect to health and the environment, and because there are many other considerations such as corporate ownership and control of the GM seeds that many say will enslave poor farmers to the GM companies, many Christian theologians either advocate following a precautionary principle or reject the use of GMOs entirely. The Islamic perspective on genetically modified foods, much like that of other religions, is complex and goes deeper than simply a determination of whether a certain food is halal or not (although that is certainly part of it). Depends on who you ask. There is a the lack of consensus in the Jewish community and religious leaders debate the ethics and morality of GMOs. At the same time, logic dictates that foods should be properly labeled so that consumers of all faiths and those of no faith can make reasoned choices. |
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