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                               VIS-Press releases

PROMOTING A CULTURE RESPECTFUL OF LIFE

VATICAN CITY, 27 NOV 2010 (VIS) - In the Vatican Basilica this evening, the
Holy Father presided at first Vespers for the first Sunday of Advent. This
year's ceremony included a "vigil for unborn life", promoted by
the Pontifical
Council for the Family, which was also celebrated in dioceses all over the
world.

Benedict XVI began his homily by noting that "with this celebration of Vespers
the Lord gives us the grace and joy to begin the new liturgical year", in which
"we will feel that the Church takes us by the hand and, in the image of Most
Holy Mary, expresses her maternity by enabling us to experience the joyful
expectation of the coming of the Lord, Who embraces us all in His salvific and
consoling love".

Highlighting the fact that this evening's celebration "is being
enriched" with
the solemn prayer vigil for unborn life, the Pope thanked "everyone who has
taken up this invitation, and those who specifically dedicate themselves to
protecting human life in various situations of fragility, especially at its
beginnings and in its first stages".

"The Incarnation reveals to us - with intense light and in a surprising way -
that each human life has exalted and incomparable dignity. Man has an
unmistakeable originality with respect to all other living things which inhabit
the earth. He is a unique and distinctive being, gifted with intelligence and
free will, as well as being composed of material reality. He simultaneously and
inseparably lives in the spiritual and the corporeal dimensions".

"God loves us deeply, completely, without distinction", the Pope
explained. "He
calls us to be His friends. He brings us to share in a reality which is beyond
all imagination, all thoughts or words: His divine life. Moved and grateful, we
become aware of the value and incomparable dignity of each human being, and of
the great responsibility we have towards others".

Human beings, said the Pope, "have the right not to be treated as objects to be
possessed, or things to be manipulated at will; not to be reduced to the status
of a mere tool for the benefit of others and their interests. Human beings are
a good per se, and it is necessary always to seek their integral development.
Love for everyone, if sincere, spontaneously turns into preferential attention
for the weakest and poorest. This is the context of the Church's concern for
nascent life, which is the most fragile, the most threatened by the selfishness
of adults and the clouding of conscience. The Church continually repeats
Vatican Council II's declarations against abortion and all other violations of
unborn life: 'from the moment of its conception life must be guarded with the
greatest care'".

The Holy Father went on: "There are cultural tendencies which seek to
anaesthetise people's consciences by using pretexts" Yet, "as concerns the
embryo in the womb, science itself highlights its autonomy and capacity for
interaction with the mother, the co-ordination of its biological processes, the
continuity of its development, the increasing complexity of the organism. It is
not simply an accumulation of biological matter, but a new living being, ... a
new individual of the human race. This is how Jesus was in Mary's womb; this is
how it is for each one of us in our mother's womb".

Benedict XVI lamented the fact that "even after birth the life of children
continues to be exposed to abandonment, to hunger and misery, to sickness,
abuse, violence and exploitation. The multiple violations of children's rights
committed in the world are a painful wound on the conscience of all men and
women of good will. Faced with the sad spectacle of the injustices committed
against the life of man, both before and after birth, I reiterate John Paul
II's impassioned appeal for responsibility: 'respect, protect, love and serve
life, every human life! Only in this direction will you find justice,
development, true freedom, peace and happiness!'"

In this context, the Pope also exhorted "political, economic and media leaders
to do everything they can to promote a culture that is ever more respectful of
human life, in order to create favourable conditions and support-networks that
welcome life and ensure its development".

At the end of the celebration of Vespers the Holy Father read a "Prayer for
Life" specially composed for this occasion.
HML/VIS 20101129 (730)

SUMMARY

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