"While we should not adopt an amoral approach, we should also not be doctrinaire," Trade and Industry Minister George Yeo, who is a Catholic, was quoted as saying by the Straits Times newspaper.

Catholic doctors and clergymen have raised an outcry over stem-cell research using human embryos, but advocates say it could hold the key to life-saving medical breakthroughs.

"The potential for good, for curing disease and saving lives, should not be waved aside in the name of dogma," Mr Yeo said, adding that the Pope had drawn a moral distinction between genetic engineering and genetic surgery made possible by the science.

"One is arrogant, the other is kind," he said.

Singapore is poised to become an important centre for the potentially lucrative field by the end of the year when one of the world's top three stem-cell suppliers, ES Cell International, sets up shop there.

Embryonic stem cells can evolve into blood, liver, muscle and other organs. Researchers hope that one day they can be used to repair damaged organs or cure ailments such as diabetes or Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.

Singapore has appointed a biomedical advisory committee to tackle the sensitivities involved. It will consult religious, medical and other interest groups next month and present recommendations by year's end.

Mr Yeo, believed to be the first minister to comment publicly on the controversy, said balance and humility were required to manage such technological advances.