Corrispondenza Romana
Summary of article by Mauro Faverzani
All is set to go: a great response from adherents and good media coverage
Everything is set to go. In a few hours time the Fifth National March for
Life will begin. Also this year the organizers were able to arrange everything
necessary in terms of logistics and services for the tens of thousands
expected to arrive in Rome from all over
Italy and the world.
Young people, families, children, parishes and associations will convene in
Rome this Sunday May 10th, to affirm the right to life “without compromises”, and as Monsignor
Alain Castet, Bishop of Lucon, noted “so
that this crime is not transformed into a right.”
The following prelates have confirmed their presence at the March: Cardinal
Raymond Leo Burke, Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the
Cause of Saints, Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, Prefect of the Congregation for
Catholic Education, Cardinal Marc Quellet, Prefect of the Congregation for
Bishops, Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Metropolitan Archbishop of Naples, Monsignor
Stanislaw Gadecki, President of the Polish Bishops Conference, Monsignor Jòzef
Michalik, vice-President of the European Bishops’ Conference, Monsignor. Mario
Iceta Gavicagogeascoa, President of the Spanish Episcopal Sub-Committee for the
Family and the Defense of Life.
Encouraging messages for the March were received from other important
prelates such as: Mons. Zygmunt Zimowski, President of the Pontifical Council
for Health Workers, Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical
Council for the Family, Monsignor Luigi Negri, Archbishop of Ferrara-Comacchio,
Mosnisgnor Giampolo Crepaldi, Archbishop of Trieste, Archbishop of Trani-Barletta-Bisceglie,
Monsignor Giovan Battista Pichierri. Support has arrived also from Austrian,
Danish, French, English, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish prelates.
Also some Dioceses, such as Cremona, Brescia and Alerno, have organized
coaches, encouraging people to support the March. Bishops who encouraged the
faithful to participate are: Monsignor
Massimo Camisasca, Bishop of Reggio Emilia, Monsignor Tommaso Ghirelli, Bishop
of Imola and Monsignor Antonio de Souza Braga, Bishop of Angra.
Among the 80 ecclesial and other associations involved are: The Institute
of the Incarnate Word, with 200 participants, the organizations “Famiglie
Numerose”, Catholic Obstetricians and Gynecologists,Jurists for Life, Centers
of Help for Life and The Order of Malta.
Delegations from overseas include: The Society for the Protection of Unborn
Children, (President: Mr. John Smeaton) Voice of the Family (English
coordinator: Maria Medise), New Zealand’s Family Life International (led by
Colleen Bayer) and many other associations from Ireland, France, Holland,
Germany, Switzerland, Malta, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania, the United States,
Canada and Australia. From Barcelona Spain: an
entire Catholic Middle School; from Romania: a coach with young protestants
lead by a Catholic priest and their own
band to accompany this important
demonstration; two coaches of young people are coming from Poland, represented
by the dioceses of Stettino and Cracow.
There has been good coverage of the event this year by the mainstream press
as well as online agencies, including Avvenire (the Italian Episcopal
Conference’s newspaper) which reported significant declarations by the
spokeswoman for the March for Life, Virginia Coda Nunziante, regarding the
latest political moves from European politicians to promote abortion as a
right.
The March for Life will be in St. Peter’s Square at midday for the Angelus
and the expected greetings from Pope Francis but the March will officially
start at 14.00 with various speakers on the theme of abortion from different
perspectives. It will then leave from Via della Conciliazione- the corner of -
via Traspontina, and continue through Vittorio Emanuele, Piazza Venezia, Teatro
di Marcello and finally reach the “Bocca della Verità” (The Mouth of Truth”)
where the Co-coordinator of the March,
Dr. Virginia Nunziante, will give the closing speech.
Our prayers are with all of the precious people involved in this worthy and
momentous event which grows in numbers with each passing year.
[A Rorate Translation by Contributor Francesca Romana]
