Pope backs bishops on assisted fertility treatment

Pope Benedict XVI today endorsed efforts by Italian bishops to restrict assisted fertility treatments, contending that a referendum next month to scrap parts of a law posed threats to life and the family.

The Pope spoke to the Italian bishops conference, which has called on Italians to boycott the referendum, scheduled for June 12-13. It was the German-born Pope’s first foray into an Italian issue, but his support was not unexpected. Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the head of the Italian bishops conference, is the Pope’s vicar for Rome.