A Christian response

A referendum on the de-penalization of the voluntary interruption of abortion will be held in Portugal on 11 February. The Portuguese Bishops’ Conference (CEP) has long been mobilizing in defence of life by publishing a series of statements, texts and documents, and by inviting diocesan bishops to promote initiatives in view of the vote. Abortion is a question that has already been subjected to a referendum in Portugal, in 1998. Yet it has never ceased to be at the centre of political discussion, to such a degree as “to fully justify a new consultation of the people”, to cite the words of the President of the Portuguese Republic, Animal Cavaco Silva. The question posed in the referendum is: “Do you agree with the de-penalization of the voluntary interruption of pregnancy, if carried out by the choice of the woman, in the first 10 weeks, in a legally authorized institute of health?”. The initiatives of the Portuguese Church are being multiplied as the deadline for the referendum approaches. “IMAGINATION OF CHARITY”. In recent days the Archbishop of Lisbon, JOSÉ DA CRUZ POLICARPO, sent an open letter to parish priests and to Christian communities of the Patriarchate, in which he stresses that the doctrine of the Church on life, inviolable from its initial conception, “is binding in conscience on all Catholics. To be faithful to the Church, they must not assume public positions contrary to her teaching”. He has further invited priests, during liturgical assemblies, to limit themselves to the presentation of the contents of this teaching, since “the liturgical celebration cannot be considered an appropriate place to repudiate contrary arguments or to analyse political and sociological factors regarding the problem of abortion”. But “this does not imply – continued the Patriarch of Lisbon – that the parish priest and the Christian community cannot organize, at other times and in other places, public debates to clarify the issue, with the involvement of competent professionals in the various healthcare and social sectors”. In conclusion, Cardinal Policarpo recalled that the Christian response to the rejection of the divine commandment “Thou shalt not kill” consists “in forgiveness, in the request for help from God”, and in the application of what John Paul II called ‘imagination of charity’: “Saying no to a law that would facilitate abortion should mean saying yes to the needs of brotherly love, and inventing forms of assistance and solidarity for all those women for whom maternity becomes problematic and for whom pregnancy is a time of disorientation and temptation”. ASSOCIATIONS IN THE FIELD. Christian associations are also being mobilized and various projects adopted to heighten awareness: thus, the apostolic MOVEMENT OF Schoenstatt in Lisbon has launched a project called “Life in your hands”. Its aim is to promote “a campaign of prayer and illumination of consciences that may help a victory of life” in the country. Since 5 December 2006, 300 missionaries have been engaged in handing out images of the Virgin Pilgrim to individuals or families, who in turn promise to pray every day through the Prayer for Life written by John Paul II. The campaign, in which some 4,500 people are participating, has been dedicated to the “Thrice Admirable Mother” of Schoenstatt, in the Sanctuary of Lisbon. The campaign will conclude in this sanctuary on 4 February, with the return of the sacred images and the coronation of the Virgin Pilgrim as Queen of Life. The organizers have also prepared a newsletter, based on the statement put out by the CEP, which explains the objectives of the campaign and presents the fundamental reasons for voting for life. It also includes the testimony of a mother of a child suffering from Down’s syndrome who had the chance to practice abortion, but refused to do so. The letter tries to reply to the arguments being debated in society: the embryo is already a human being and any violence against it is therefore “always an unjust violence”; the measure subjected to the referendum is not a “de-penalization but a legalized liberalization” of abortion; abortion is a grave transgression not only for Catholic morality but also for the “universal values of respect for life”. Those who want to join the prayer campaign are invited to write to the following address: avidanastuasmaos@gmail.com. A pro-life march, organized by the PORTUGUESE ASSOCIATION OF LARGE FAMILIES , is due to be held on Sunday 28 January at Lisbon. The 2 km long route will be divided into 7 stages (conception, birth, childhood, adolescence, youth, adult, old age). The various associations and movements that will participate in the march are being asked to assume responsibility for one of these stages. Moments of discussion and the performance of the Hymn of Life, with the participation of numerous artists, are planned for the end of the march. Those wishing to participate can send an e-mail with the object: “We want to help Portugal”, to: direccao@apfn.com.pt (Associação Portoghese di Famílias Numerosi).