Vatican City, 11 April 2014 (VIS) –
This morning in the Sala Clementina of the Vatican Apostolic Palace
the Holy Father received 470 members of the Italian Movement for
Life. The Pontiff thanked them for their work, especially for the
“Progetto Gemma” (a form of prenatal adoption at a distance to
assist pregnant women in difficulty) which, he said, “in these
twenty years has enabled, through a particular form of concrete
solidarity, the birth of many children who otherwise would never have
seen the light of day”.
“Human life is sacred and
inviolable”, he emphasised. “Every civil right is based on the
recognition of the first, fundamental right, the right to life, which
is not subject to any condition, of a qualitative, economic and
certainly not of an ideological nature. Just as the commandment 'Thou
shalt not kill' places a clear limit guaranteeing the value of human
life, today we must also say 'No to an economy of exclusion and
inequality'. This economy kills. … Human beings are themselves
considered consumer goods to be used and then discarded. We have
created a 'throwaway' culture which is now spreading. In this way
life too is discarded”, continued the Holy Father, quoting from his
apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium”.
“One of the most serious risks of our
age is the divorce of economy and morality, the separation between
the opportunities offered by a market which has every technological
novelty at its disposal and the basic ethical norms of human nature,
which are increasingly neglected. Therefore it is necessary to
reaffirm our solid opposition to any direct offence against life,
especially when innocent and defenceless, and the unborn child in its
mother's womb is the quintessence of innocence. Let us remember the
words of Vatican Council II: 'Therefore from the moment of its
conception life must be guarded with the greatest care while abortion
and infanticide are unspeakable crimes'”.
“I remember once, a long time ago”,
he added, “I participated in a conference with doctors. After the
conference I greeted them and while I spoke to them, one of them
called me to one side. He had a package and he said to me, 'Father, I
want to leave this with you. These are the instruments I have used to
carry out abortions. I have encountered the Lord and repented, and
now I fight for life'. He gave me all those instruments. Let us pray
for this good man”.
“Every Christian has the
responsibility of this witness to the Gospel: to protect life with
courage and love in all its phases. I encourage you to do this,
always with an attitude of closeness and proximity, so that every
woman feels considered as a person, listened to, welcomed and
accompanied”.
“We have spoken about children: there
are many of them! But I would also like to speak about grandparents,
the other side of life! Because we must also care for grandparents,
because children and grandparents are the hope of the people.
Children and young people, because they lead the people ahead; and
the elderly, because they hold the wisdom of history, they are the
memory of the people. Protect life in a time in which children and
grandparents enter into this throwaway culture and are regarded as
disposable material. No! Children and the elderly are the hope of a
population!”
He concluded, “The Lord supports the
activities you carry out as Help Centres for Life and as a Movement
for Life, in particular the project “One of Us”. I entrust you to
the heavenly intercession of the Virgin Mother Mary and impart a
heartfelt blessing to your families”.
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