” “An appeal for "all the men and women of goodwill, inviting them to welcome the great gift of life", "from conception until its natural end": yesterday morning, before introducing the Angelus prayer, that appeal was made by Benedict XVI together with the Italian bishops, and during the Life’s Day, promoted by the Italian Bishops’ Conference on the subject: "Loving and wishing for life". "Life is work of God and must not be denied to anyone stated the Pope, not even to the tiniest and undefended unborn child, let alone to the seriously disabled". At the same time, echoing the Italian bishops, the Holy Father invited everybody "not to surrender to the cheat of thinking to be able to use life to such extent as to legitimate its interruption through euthanasia, maybe covering it with a veil of human pity". On recalling the "Life and Family Week", which started in the diocese of Rome yesterday, Benedict XVI pointed out the following: "this is an important opportunity to pray and ponder over the family, that is, the cradle of life and any vocations. The family based on marriage is the natural environment for the birth of children and their education. We know that very well. Therefore, the family is fundamental to secure the future of the whole mankind. However, we also know that the family is going through a serious crisis and must face lots of challenges" (to be continued).” “
