Filipino Bishops call on the laity to be on the frontline to defend life
Manila (AsiaNews/CBCP) - As the Philippines observes the Pro-life month in February, a Catholic bishop calls on the Filipino laity to be active in the pro-life cause and intensify their defence of Catholic values.
As the Church marks the Pro-life Month in February, Antipolo Bishop Gabriel Reyes said there is a need for "more lay people to stand for life, and to be champions of the poor, the weak, and the innocent."
Reyes, who chairs the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, has always backed Pro-Life Philippines, which is organising the activities for the entire month of February, which is also the 27th edition of the Pro-Life Month.
"We are waging a spiritual war," Reyes said, "and our laity should stand at the forefront of our temporal realities that help build the spiritual kingdom of God - frontlines like politics, mass and social media, commerce, and public service".
"The defence of our deeply held values of life, family, and marriage is a worthwhile reason for us Catholics to step up and make our presence felt," he added.
Urging the laity to exert every effort "to keep the culture of death away from our nation," he went on to quote Pope Francis, who said, "A population that does not take care of the elderly and of children and the young has no future, because it abuses both its memory and its promise."
The Year of the Laity, Year of Life: Hand in Hand towards a Pro-Life Nation is the theme of this year's Pro-life Month.
The Church and various Catholic groups have organised local meetings and seminars to defend the unborn and promote various ethical issues related to the concept of life.
The month will open 2 February, 'Pro-life Sunday' with a Mass at St Augustine Church, in Intramuros.
.png)
24/10/2019 17:56
