Pope sends blessing to Churches
in UK and Ireland for Day for Life
 |
| 'Choose Life' is the theme of the 2020 Day for Life of the Churches in UK and Ireland |
Pope Francis sends his blessings to the Catholic Church in
the UK and Ireland for the annual Day for Life, and invites everyone to uphold
the dignity of every human life.
By Robin Gomes
"Choose life" is the theme chosen for the 2020
edition of the Day for Life of the Catholic Churches in the UK and Ireland.
Meaning and value of human life
The purpose of the annual observance promoted by the
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW), together with the
Catholic Bishops' Conference of Scotland (BCOS) and the Irish Catholic Bishops’
Conference, is to create awareness about the meaning and value of human life at
every stage and in every condition.
The Church teaches that life is to be nurtured and protected
from conception to natural death.
Pope - culture of life
Pope Francis has sent a message to the bishops of the United Kingdom for the Day
for Life, urging prayers for all those who work to uphold the value and
dignity of each person.
He hopes that the current health crisis will lead to the
emergence of a culture of life attentive to the protection of all the children
of God, starting with the most vulnerable.
The message was sent on the Pope’s behalf by Vatican
Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to Auxiliary Bishop John
Sherrington of Westminster, Lead Bishop for Life Issues for CBCEW. In it, the
Holy Father draws attention to the appropriateness of the theme, "Choose
Life". This year, he says, marks the 25th anniversary of "Evangelium
Vitae", the encyclical of Saint John Paul II on the value and
inviolability of human life.
Valuing life amid pandemic
“In these days when our world faces the challenges of the
coronavirus pandemic,” Cardinal Parolin writes, “the Holy Father asks the
faithful to pray for all those families, volunteers and healthcare
professionals committed, often heroically, to the care and healing of the
suffering, and for all those who, amid the continuing ‘pandemic’ of poverty and
war, work to uphold the God-given value and dignity of every human person.”
The Pope hopes that “amid the present crisis, all will be
led to a greater appreciation of the moral imperative to build a ‘culture of
life’ marked by ever greater concern for nurturing, protecting and promoting
the integral welfare of all God’s children, beginning with the most
vulnerable.”
Cardinal Parolin asks Bishop Sherrington to convey the
Pope’s message also to the bishops of Scotland and Ireland.
Gratitude of English and Welsh bishops
The bishop expresses the gratitude of the bishops of England
and Wales for the Pope’s blessing and inspiration.
“The global coronavirus pandemic which we are currently
experiencing,” the bishop writes, “has reminded us in the starkest way of the
importance and God-given dignity and worth of every life, especially the
weakest and most frail.”
“Pope Francis’s message,” Bishop Sherrington says, “gives us
hope and renews our commitment and action to this most basic of human instincts
– the protection of the mystery of human life at every stage.”
Bishop Sherrington explains that the message for the Day for
Life emphasises the care of the unborn child and pregnant women.
He urges for prayers that “minds and hearts may be opened to
the sheer gift and wonder of every new life in the womb and thank those who
work ceaselessly to protect this life more fully by legislation.” “We also draw
attention to the hope and healing that women and men can experience following
the trauma of abortion,” he adds.
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