ROME (AP) – The Vatican will finance new research into the potential use of adult stem cells in the treatment of intestinal and possibly other diseases, officials announced Friday. The project is at a very preliminary phase and it will be years before any clinical treatment might be available, the officials said. Cardinal Renato Martino said the Vatican fully supports the project because it does not involve embryonic stem cells. He said he expected the Vatican to help finance the project through its Rome hospital, Bambin Gesu, but the exact amount must still be worked out in future meetings with the University of Maryland's School of Medicine, the project's leaders. An initial announcement by the university said the Vatican had already agreed to donate euro2 million ($2.7 million) to the research. The church is opposed to embryonic stem cell research because it involves the destruction of embryos, but it supports the use of adult stem cells. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI said adult stem cell research respects human life, which according to church teachings begins at conception. The Vatican has drawn criticism for its opposition to embryonic stem cell research. But the Vatican insists there are scientifically viable alternatives and the efforts of the scientific community should go in that direction. Financing this project is part of those efforts. But while embryonic stem cells are especially prized for their pluripotency — meaning they can morph into any type of cell in the body — adult stem cells are not as pluripotent. For that reason, embryonic stem cells are considered to have more potential for the treatment of diseases such as Alzheimer's, diabetes and Parkinson's.