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Pastoral Statement on the Body Worlds Exhibit at
Telus World of Science
The Telus World of Science will soon be hosting an
exhibit entitled Body Worlds. The creation of Gunther von Hagen of
Germany, Body Worlds is a display of human bodies and body parts that
have been preserved by a process called “plastination.” Its stated goal
is public education with respect to health and anatomy. Not
surprisingly, this exhibit generates much debate wherever it occurs,
and so it should. At issue here is human dignity. Thus, we wish to
remind our Catholic people of important principles of our faith
concerning the dignity of the human body as they consider viewing this
display of bodies of the deceased.
According to Christian faith, the human body is
not insignificant. It is precisely through the body – our gestures,
facial expressions etc. – that we communicate our thoughts and emotions
and relate with other persons. The body is part of God’s creative
design of the human person. God has also made the human body the
instrument by which He has saved us. In the Incarnation of His Son,
Jesus Christ, God assumed a human body. God did not merely take on
human appearance. The bodily Resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the
foundation of our hope that, by His power, our bodies, too, will be
raised up on the last day. (cf. 1 Corinthians 15) Indeed, we proclaim
our faith in the resurrection of the body every time we profess the
Creed. Since the redemption of the human person, both body and soul, is
the object of God’s saving plan in Christ, the human body retains its
dignity even in death.
We offer the following points for consideration:
Was there full and informed consent by those who donated their bodies?
Exhibit officials have assured us that such consent has been given and
properly documented. Although the Catholic Church does not object to
the donation of the body for the purpose of medical and scientific
research, nevertheless we presume that such donation is for a limited
time and that the body’s disposition will be handled reverently in such
a way as to allow for any desired funeral rituals. Here we encounter a
difficulty with the Body Worlds exhibit. To our knowledge, the bodies
are preserved and used indefinitely. Christian faith insists upon the
reverent burial of the body of the deceased in anticipation of its
resurrection on the last day.
For the creators of Body Worlds, educational
purposes require displaying bodies in various poses. It is precisely
here, however, that an important line risks being crossed. Do the
bodies, in this manner of display, become the “creation” of Gunther von
Hagen and his colleagues? Are they presented as such? Does the exhibit,
in fact, move from science to art? The human body is God’s handiwork,
not ours. For this reason we should be familiar with it and honour it.
For this very same reason, however, it should never be considered the
creation of another person, much less presented as such.
The bodies will be displayed with the skin removed. Among other
reasons, this is purportedly to protect the anonymity of the donor. Yet
does this not obscure the individuality of these persons on display?
These people are not just some anonymous “other” within the mass of
humanity. As Pope Benedict XVI has so beautifully written, “Each of us
is the result of a thought of God.” If any Catholics were to visit this
exhibit, they should keep in mind that each body viewed is that of a
unique individual loved by God and others. It would be appropriate to
offer prayer for the repose of their souls.
Whether or not children visit this exhibit is a
parental decision. We have conferred with the superintendents of the
Catholic schools in our dioceses, and determined that any visits
arranged to Body Worlds will be limited to high school students who
have permission from their parents and for whom the exhibit would be
related to a particular course of study. Before any such visit takes
place, the students are to be prepared by qualified high school staff,
who will review with them the principles and questions we have
highlighted in this statement. Furthermore, the students must be helped
after the visit to discuss and reflect upon the experience in the light
of Catholic teaching.
We are not convinced that this display of real
bodies is necessary for the educational aims it claims to pursue.
Models should suffice.
We counsel any of our parishioners who choose to view the exhibit to do
so critically through the lens of faith.
 
Most Reverend Richard Smith
Most Reverend David Motiuk
Archbishop of Edmonton
Bishop of the
Ukrainian Eparchy of Edmonton
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