In march to say “yes” to life

“It’s essential to have an inborn respect for life, that must be followed by help and by the practical demonstration of our beliefs. This is a public request to all ruling elites that refuse to listen. It’s not enough to be in favour of life only in one’s home. It’s necessary to take a public stand.” For those who felt the need of a word of encouragement or a reason to take part in the second national Pro-Life March, here it is. Dozens of pro-life and pro-family organizations, along with thousand of individuals, strongly supported by the Slovakian Bishops’ Conference, joined forces to organize not a simple one-hour march in the centre of Bratislava, but the largest pro-life Festival in Slovakia, to be held in the third week of September. Debut with surprising success. According to the most optimistic estimates, the number of participants in the first National March for life in autumn 2013 amounted to less that a few thousand. Activists in favour of freedom of choice, as well as the media, smiled at the event and remarked that the expectations of pro-life activists were probably far too high for a “modern and progressive society.” The entire country was taken by surprise when some 80 thousand people from all regions gathered in Kosice to convey their support to the values underlying the protection of life from the moment of conception to natural death and of its dignity. Such a large number of people who have at heart this issue cannot be ignored. This figure cannot be ignored  by public authorities nor by those participating in the development of laws and national policies. Focusing on concrete support. “Activists fighting for our rights, often exceeding their human limits, are seeking our support. There are many areas where this support is necessary in such crucial moments: in the development of national and international documents, in legislative proposals, expert analyses, on thorny issues such as sex education in schools, and much more. These activists must know they are not alone in their efforts, they are supported by prayer and in words, and also financially”, said Tomas Kovacik, spokesperson of the second national pro-life march, inviting participants from throughout Slovakia to convene in Bratislava and show their “joy for and of life”. For Marek Michalèík, chief coordinator of the event, pro-life and pro-family organizations in Slovakia are often discriminated in terms of national funding and grants from public bodies, precisely because of the philosophy that guides their work and despite the concrete support they provide, which often replaces the work that should be done by public institutions. “For example, the Yes For Life organization, that has helped hundreds of women and mothers in difficult situations, or Caritas, who don’t receive funding, because they don’t have the ‘right’ ideological approach. It’s time to take to the streets and lend a competent ear”, added Tomas Kovacik. Concrete help to pregnant women, mothers, children and old people, are major themes of the march. Pathologies of the contemporary world. Another reason to take part in the National March is rightly described in a dedicated pastoral letter published a few days ago by the Slovakian Bishops’ Conference, chaired by Msgr. Stanislav Zvolensky. Maternity – the Letter states – instead of being considered a natural need is blemished by prejudice; children’s education is viewed as a waste of time and energy; those who want more children are branded as egoistic, and accordingly, childless couples are “more productive and efficient”; these are but a few examples of the moods and mindsets prevailing in modern societies, including Slovakia. “All these words have in common a loss of hope; the hope that bearing a child, doing sacrifices and living for others has a meaning. In the logics of this lack of hope, the deeply-rooted respect for a woman viewed as someone who brings a new life, is seen as conservative and outdated”, the bishops write. “Indeed, we are conservatives inasmuch as we are aware that unless we adhere to the deepest foundations of human civilization and of every human life established by God, we are condemning this civilization to destruction”, the letter goes on, inviting all people of good will to visit Bratislava and “bear witness to the meaning of life as a sacred gift that we want and we must develop and support.”