Professor Colin Blakemore, former Head of the Medical Research Council, said:

"I am delighted that Cardinal O’Brien has taken up our offer as it seems likely that other religious leaders will. I hope we can all enter into this dialogue with a shared willingness to listen to each other. I hope the Church will accept that even scientists that do no profess religious beliefs do still have a strong moral compass – indeed it is exactly what drives many of us to search for treatments for incurable diseases."

Dr Stephen Minger, Director, Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, King's College London, said:

"This is great news. We, as a scientific community, are keen to engage with all perspectives on this work to encourage the discussions to move forwards. We would like to see an ongoing dialogue that is based on an open exchange of ideas."