Defending and protecting human life means rejecting abortion, caring for the sick, offering a decent welcome to immigrants, valuing the contributions of the elderly, encouraging families to have children and caring for the environment, the bishops of Italy have said.
“We are called to welcome life before and after its birth, in every condition and circumstance in which it is weak, threatened and in need of what is essential,” said the bishops’ statement for their 2019 pro-life day.
The permanent council of the bishops’ conference issued the statement in anticipation of the Day for Life, which will be marked on February 3.
“We are called to care for those who suffer because of illness, violence or marginalisation with the respect that is due to every human being when he or she is fragile,” the bishops said.
In a country still recovering from the economic crisis, where the birthrate has plummeted, where the population is aging and where young adults struggle to find work, the bishops said the wisdom of the elderly and their experience in dealing with “earthquakes, both geological and of the soul”, can help the country recover if there is “a solid alliance between generations, as Pope Francis reminds us with insistence”.