The Ceremony of the Mystery of Life Award 2007
The first Mystery of Life Award ceremony was held at the Coste Hall of the Myeongdong Cathedral of Seoul on January 15, 2007. This award was granted by the Seoul Archdiocesan Committee for Life. The co-awardees for Life Science category are Prof. Chung Myung-Hee (Department of Pharmacology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul), Prof. Oh Tae-hwan (Director of Aging and Brain Diseases Research Center, Kyung Hee University, Seoul), and Prof. Heinz Wassle (Director of Max-Planck Institut fur Hirnforschung, Frankfurt a.M.). For Humanistics category, the Most Rev. Elio Sgreccia (President of the Pontifical Academy for Life) and the Catholic Institute of Bioethics of the Catholic University of Korea (Director: the Rev. Micael Kim Jung-ho). Last but not least, for Pro-Life Activity category, Prof. Mary Ann Glendon (Harvard Law School, President of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences).
His Eminence Nicholas Cardinal Cheong Jinsuk, Archbishop of Seoul, said, "I hope that the Mystery of Life Award promotes the dignity of human life and research for the incurable diseases, not just in Korea, but in the whole world."
The Most Rev. Emil Paul Tscherrig, Apostolic Nuncio to Korea, said, "The aims and methods of every scientific research and experiment must secure its justification in the light of the dignity of human life." And he added, "I sincerely hope that we will soon be in a world where the dignity of human life is duly respected and more people can live for each other, with efforts of the winners of this award."
In his congratulatory address, the Most Rev. Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, President of the Seoul Archdiocesan Committee for Life, said, "Nowadays, people place more importance to other values than the life itself. But I firmly believe that our small effort for the protection of the dignity of human life and research for the incurable diseases will be a stepping stone for the next generations by teaching them in the value of the healthy and precious life."
The Most Rev. Basil Cho Kyu-man, President of the award committee, said, "I know that there are many people in the world who care for life and dedicate themselves to it. But the award committee did its best to select candidates who can be good examples to others in leading the culture of life standing against the culture of death. We just confer them with this humble prize, but I believe that God will bestow 'what eye has not seen, and ear has not heard' (1Cor 2:9) onto them."
The Archdiocese of Seoul established the archdiocesan Committee for Life in October, 2005 for the promotion of the respect for human life. This committee held a preparatory meeting on November 16, 2005 to establish the Mystery of Life Award Committee, which was officially launched on December 14, 2005. The Mystery of Life Award was contrived to pay tribute to the researchers who achieve results for the promotion of the dignity of human life and research for the incurable diseases, and also to the social activists who dedicate themselves to the dignity of human life. The name of the award stems from Vitae Mysterium (published on February 11, 1994), the motu proprio of His Holiness Pope John Paul II. To select the candidates for the award, the committee held 10 meetings of very rigorous and sincere consideration. Every winner receives a prize of $20,000 - $30,000 respectively according to the categories.