GM food lobbyists have been given some help from above, with news that the Vatican has opened a symposium into GMOs. While Pope John Paul II has spoken out against the introduction of GM foods in the past, he is thought to have softened his stance in view of the possibilities for feeding the world's starving millions.
Critics claim that the latest move by the Vatican is a smokescreen for eventual full endorsement of GM crops. The Vatican points to the 24,000 people who starved to death around the world in the last 12 months and says its interest is part of a policy to make agriculture sustainable.
Cardinal Renato Martino, head of the Vatican's Council for Justice and Peace, is pinpointed as the driver behind the newfound GMO belief. He was quoted last year as saying that GM foods were better to eat than grass.
The two-day seminar, entitled Genetically Modified Organisms: Threat or Hope? Will bring 67 scientists, experts and representatives of the Catholic Church.
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