PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF THE FAMILY AND OF LIFE

VATICAN CITY, DEC 26, 1999 (VIS) - In the angelus today, feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth, John Paul II stated that this moment offered him "a suitable occasion, at the start of the Holy Year 2000, to renew an appeal in support of the rights of the family, of life and of infancy."

"The family," he reminded pilgrims who had gathered in St. Peter's Square, "is a community of life and love, that comes into being when a man and a woman totally give themselves the one to the other in matrimony, ready to accept the gift of children. The fundamental right to life pertains to man from the moment of conception. This is in keeping with the essence of natural law and the tradition of the great religions, as well as with the spirit of article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

The Holy Father highlighted that "the union between the mother and the newborn and the irreplaceable role of the father necessitate that the child be welcomed into a family that guarantees, as far as possible, the presence of both parents. The specific contribution they offer to the family and, through that institution, to society, is worthy of the highest respect."

"The family today," he concluded, "requires special protection from the public authorities, who not infrequently are placed under pressure by interest groups to admit as a right that which in reality is the fruit of an individualistic and subjective mentality. ... May God enlighten legislators, politicians and all people of good will to promote the effective protection of the rights of the family, of life and of children."

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