WORLD
VATICAN CONDEMNS HUMAN CLONING
The Vatican in its first speech ever to the U.N. General Assembly, called Wednesday for a total ban on human cloning. Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, secretary of the Holy See's relations with states, spoke in broad terms and didn't mention the U.S.-led coalition that invaded Iraq or the nations that have acted unilaterally against terrorists. He referred to Pope John Paul II's fervent opposition to the Iraq war. "Everyone can see that it (military action) did not lead to a safer world, either inside or outside Iraq," he said as the assembly's two-week annual ministerial session neared an end. He stressed, however, that it is imperative to support Iraq's new government in bringing normalcy and democracy to the country. The Holy See, he said, supports the advances of medical science through the use of adult stem cells. The General Assembly is to resume its debate on human cloning in the coming weeks.