VATICAN CITY, FEB 3, 2002 (VIS) - Prior to praying the angelus at midday today from the window of his study overlooking St. Peter's Square, the Pope recalled that, in Italy, today is the "'Day for Life,' an appropriate occasion to reflect on that most fundamental value that is the life of man.
"The theme the bishops have proposed this year is: 'Recognize life.' To recognize means, above all, to rediscover with renewed wonder that which both reason and science are not afraid to call a 'mystery'."
John Paul II affirmed that "to recognize also means to guarantee every human being the right to develop according to their own potential, safeguarding their inviolability from conception to natural death. No-one is lord over life; no-one has the right to manipulate, oppress or eliminate life, neither their own nor that of others. Still less can this be done in the name of God, Who is the one Lord and the greatest lover of life. Martyrs do not take their own lives, rather, in order to remain faithful to God and His commandments, they accept that their lives be taken.
"Recognizing the value of life calls for a coherent application of the legal aspects of the matter, especially in defence of human beings who cannot defend themselves such as the unborn, the mentally disturbed and the seriously or terminally ill."
The Holy Father concluded by making reference to the human embryo: "Science has already shown that (the embryo) is a human being that from the moment of fertilization possesses its own identity. Consequently it is logical to insist that this identity also be legally recognized, above all in its fundamental right to life, as demanded by the praiseworthy initiative of the Italian 'Movement for Life'."
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