The Gospel of Life

· Year of Faith: World Day Celebrating Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life)

 

Bishops ask the faithful to offer their prayerful support at home and in the parishes of Ireland for an important initiative being led by Pope Francis this weekend in Rome which celebrates the sanctity of human life.

 

Evangelium vitae (The Gospel of Life) is an encyclical of Blessed Pope Paul John II, published on 25 March 1995, which expresses the teaching of the Catholic Church on the value and inviolability of human life. This weekend in the Vatican 15-16 June Pope Francis will celebrate the encyclical in a special event entitled, ‘Believing, May They Have Life’. This will be a key event for the Year of Faith which the Universal Church is celebrating during 2013. The chosen theme reflects the Church’s commitment to the promotion, respect, and dignity of human life. 

 

This Saturday 15 June at 8.30pm (Rome time) a silent, candle-lit procession will be held along Rome’s Via della Conciliazone in order to call attention to the theme of human life and its intangible value. It will be supported by pro-life people from around the world and the procession will conclude in Saint Peter’s Square. The following morning Pope Francis will preside at Sunday Mass at 10.30am with the entire ‘people of life’ to address his message and to show his care. 

Statement from the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference