France: vigil of prayer for life Msgr. Gérard Daucourt and Msgr. Nicolas Brouwet, respectively bishop and auxiliary bishop of Nanterre, “invite” the Catholics of Ile-de-France and their bishops to take part in a prayer vigil “faithful to the Gospel of Life”, due to be held in the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on the eve of May 28. “The general states of bioethics”, a public reflection in view of the reform of relative legislation scheduled for the upcoming months, are currently under way in France. “The Catholic Church – the prelates wrote in their message to the faithful – takes part in the debate by proclaiming the Gospel of life and pronouncing and unconditional yes to human life”. “While the General States are under way, and in the midst of an economic and financial crisis that many people are seriously concerned about, a firm stand ought to be taken in favour of the respect for human life, from the moment of conception to its natural termination”. According to the bishops “faith can exist” only if everyone, “especially the more vulnerable ones, those with no voice, the weakest, know they will be accepted for themselves, as an unconditional gift for all”. “This hope will remain firm”, claim the two bishops, only if everyone realizes that “our society respects and protects the youngest and most neglected ones not on the basis of income, health or social condition” but because “life was bestowed upon that person and nobody is authorised to contest or strip it from him”. “This unconditional respect for human dignity cannot be obtained without fighting”, the prelates remarked, pointing out that it is “an inner struggle” against the temptation to “considering the other as a burden”. For this reason, they conclude, “we need to ask the Lord the grace of receiving life as a gift”.England and Wales: the week for the family Contributing to the promotion of the sanctity of family life is the objective of the first national Week for the Family that the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales are promoting May 25-31. On the occasion, the prelates prepared a compendium called “Home is a sacred place” that consists in prayer sheets, material for group reflection and a DVD, available across the Country’s parish churches. The promoters explained that the material “is designed for use in different environments, including the parents of children that are being prepared to receive the sacraments, or the couples attending marriage preparation courses”. “For many of us – stated Msgr. Vincent Nichols, archbishop elect of Westminster, “the home is the place where the foundations of faith are placed, and where we the meaning of faith in daily practice is developed”. However, “it ought to become the place of education to prayer, of education to communicating to God, seeing ourselves as a family that lives His presence”. Bishop John Hine, President of the Bishops’ Commission for Marriage and Family Life gave an encouragement to use the compendium, while Elizabeth Davis, responsible for the project “Marriage and family life” defines it a “useful tool” also to “encourage families that may be perceiving themselves on the margins of our parish churches”. Italy: a commitment for the protection of the Creation “A profound renewal in our way of living and of the economy” since “the commitment for the protection of climate stability” encompasses “the entire human family”. This is the claim of the Italian Bishops included in the Message for the IV Day on the Protection of the Creation, due to be celebrated at national level next September 1st. In the document issued a few days ago, the Commission for Employment and Social issues, for Justice and Peace, and the Commission for Ecumenism and Dialogue of the Italian Bishops’ Conference declare: “the commitment for the defence of climate changes is a question that involves the entire human family that shares a common responsibility referring to serious aspects of justice. The consequences are often suffered by the populations who are less accountable for climate changes”. Hence the importance of the International Conference on climate changes planned in December in Copenaghen “during which the international community is called to define the main lines leading to the effective counter-action of global warming over the next decades”. According to CEI “it is necessary that industrial Countries – especially those of the European Union -take on their responsibilities” since “without everyone’s contribution” the fixed targets won’t be met. “Not even the burden of the economic and financial crisis can exempt us from undertaking fruitful cooperation aimed at identifying and activating measures that will ensure climate stability. It’s a crucial passage enabling the human family to live on the earth in justice”.
