ENCYCLICAL LETTER EVANGELIUM VITAE
Fourth Part
CHAPTER IV -
YOU DID IT TO ME
FOR A
NEW CULTURE OF HUMAN LIFE
"You are God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful
deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous
light" (1 Pet 2:9): a people of life and for life
78. The Church has received the Gospel as a proclamation and a
source of joy and salvation. She has received it as a gift from
Jesus, sent by the Father "to preach good news to the poor" (Lk
4:18). She has received it through the Apostles, sent by Christ
to the whole world (cf. Mk 16:15; Mt 28:19-20). Born from this
evangelizing activity, the Church hears every day the echo of
Saint Paul's words of warning: "Woe to me if I do not preach the
Gospel!" (1 Cor 9:16). As Paul VI wrote, "evangelization is the
grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity.
She exists in order to evangelize".101
Evangelization is an all-embracing, progressive activity through
which the Church participates in the prophetic, priestly and
royal mission of the Lord Jesus. It is therefore inextricably
linked to preaching, celebration and the service of charity.
Evangelization is a profoundly ecclesial act, which calls all
the various workers of the Gospel to action, according to their
individual charisms and ministry.
This is also the case with regard to the proclamation of the
Gospel of life, an integral part of that Gospel which is Jesus
Christ himself. We are at the service of this Gospel, sustained
by the awareness that we have received it as a gift and are sent
to preach it to all humanity, "to the ends of the earth" (Acts
1:8). With humility and gratitude we know that we are the people
of life and for life, and this is how we present ourselves to
everyone.
79. We are the people of life because God, in his unconditional
love, has given us the Gospel of life and by this same Gospel we
have been transformed and saved. We have been ransomed by the
"Author of life" (Acts 3:15) at the price of his precious blood
(cf. 1 Cor 6:20; 7:23; 1 Pet 1:19). Through the waters of
Baptism we have been made a part of him (cf. Rom 6:4-5; Col
2:12), as branches which draw nourishment and fruitfulness from
the one tree (cf. Jn 15:5). Interiorly renewed by the grace of
the Spirit, "who is the Lord and giver of life", we have become
a people for life and we are called to act accordingly.
We have been sent. For us, being at the service of life is not a
boast but rather a duty, born of our awareness of being "God's
own people, that we may declare the wonderful deeds of him who
called us out of darkness into his marvellous light" (cf. 1 Pet
2:9). On our journey we are guided and sustained by the law of
love: a love which has as its source and model the Son of God
made man, who "by dying gave life to the world".102
We have been sent as a people. Everyone has an obligation to be
at the service of life. This is a properly "ecclesial"
responsibility, which requires concerted and generous action by
all the members and by all sectors of the Christian community.
This community commitment does not however eliminate or lessen
the responsibility of each individual, called by the Lord to
"become the neighbour" of everyone: "Go and do likewise" (Lk
10:37).
Together we all sense our duty to preach the Gospel of life, to
celebrate it in the Liturgy and in our whole existence, and to
serve it with the various programmes and structures which
support and promote life.
"That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you" (1
Jn 1:3): proclaiming the Gospel of life
80. "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard,
which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and
touched with our hands, concerning the word of life ... we
proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us"
(1 Jn 1:1, 3). Jesus is the only Gospel: we have nothing further
to say or any other witness to bear.
To proclaim Jesus is itself to proclaim life. For Jesus is "the
word of life" (1 Jn 1:1). In him "life was made manifest" (1 Jn
1:2); he himself is "the eternal life which was with the Father
and was made manifest to us" (1 Jn 1:2). By the gift of the
Spirit, this same life has been bestowed on us. It is in being
destined to life in its fullness, to "eternal life", that every
person's earthly life acquires its full meaning.
Enlightened by this Gospel of life, we feel a need to proclaim
it and to bear witness to it in all its marvellous newness.
Since it is one with Jesus himself, who makes all things new 103
and conquers the "oldness" which comes from sin and leads to
death, 104 this Gospel exceeds every human expectation and
reveals the sublime heights to which the dignity of the human
person is raised through grace. This is how Saint Gregory of
Nyssa understands it: "Man, as a being, is of no account; he is
dust, grass, vanity. But once he is adopted by the God of the
universe as a son, he becomes part of the family of that Being,
whose excellence and greatness no one can see, hear or
understand. What words, thoughts or flight of the spirit can
praise the superabundance of this grace? Man surpasses his
nature: mortal, he becomes immortal; perishable, he becomes
imperishable; fleeting, he becomes eternal; human, he becomes
divine".105
Gratitude and joy at the incomparable dignity of man impel us to
share this message with everyone: "that which we have seen and
heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship
with us" (1 Jn 1:3). We need to bring the Gospel of life to the
heart of every man and woman and to make it penetrate every part
of society.
81. This involves above all proclaiming the core of this Gospel.
It is the proclamation of a living God who is close to us, who
calls us to profound communion with himself and awakens in us
the certain hope of eternal life. It is the affirmation of the
inseparable connection between the person, his life and his
bodiliness. It is the presentation of human life as a life of
relationship, a gift of God, the fruit and sign of his love. It
is the proclamation that Jesus has a unique relationship with
every person, which enables us to see in every human face the
face of Christ. It is the call for a "sincere gift of self" as
the fullest way to realize our personal freedom.
It also involves making clear all the consequences of this
Gospel. These can be summed up as follows: human life, as a gift
of God, is sacred and inviolable. For this reason procured
abortion and euthanasia are absolutely unacceptable. Not only
must human life not be taken, but it must be protected with
loving concern. The meaning of life is found in giving and
receiving love, and in this light human sexuality and
procreation reach their true and full significance. Love also
gives meaning to suffering and death; despite the mystery which
surrounds them, they can become saving events. Respect for life
requires that science and technology should always be at the
service of man and his integral development. Society as a whole
must respect, defend and promote the dignity of every human
person, at every moment and in every condition of that person's
life.
82. To be truly a people at the service of life we must propose
these truths constantly and courageously from the very first
proclamation of the Gospel, and thereafter in catechesis, in the
various forms of preaching, in personal dialogue and in all
educational activity. Teachers, catechists and theologians have
the task of emphasizing the anthropological reasons upon which
respect for every human life is based. In this way, by making
the newness of the Gospel of life shine forth, we can also help
everyone discover in the light of reason and of personal
experience how the Christian message fully reveals what man is
and the meaning of his being and existence. We shall find
important points of contact and dialogue also with non-
believers, in our common commitment to the establishment of a
new culture of life.
Faced with so many opposing points of view, and a widespread
rejection of sound doctrine concerning human life, we can feel
that Paul's entreaty to Timothy is also addressed to us: "Preach
the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince,
rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching" (2
Tim 4:2). This exhortation should resound with special force in
the hearts of those members of the Church who di- rectly share,
in different ways, in her mission as "teacher" of the truth. May
it resound above all for us who are Bishops: we are the first
ones called to be untiring preachers of the Gospel of life. We
are also entrusted with the task of ensuring that the doctrine
which is once again being set forth in this Encyclical is
faithfully handed on in its integ- rity. We must use appropriate
means to defend the faithful from all teaching which is contrary
to it. We need to make sure that in theological faculties,
seminaries and Catholic institutions sound doctrine is taught,
explained and more fully investigated. 106 May Paul's
exhortation strike a chord in all theologians, pastors, teachers
and in all those responsible for catechesis and the formation of
consciences. Aware of their specific role, may they never be so
grievously irresponsible as to betray the truth and their own
mission by proposing personal ideas contrary to the Gospel of
life as faithfully presented and interpreted by the Magisterium.
In the proclamation of this Gospel, we must not fear hostility
or unpopularity, and we must refuse any compromise or ambiguity
which might conform us to the world's way of thinking (cf. Rom
12:2). We must be in the world but not of the world (cf. Jn
15:19; 17:16), drawing our strength from Christ, who by his
Death and Res- urrection has overcome the world (cf. Jn 16:33).
"I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made" (Ps
139:14): celebrating the Gospel of life
83. Because we have been sent into the world as a "people for
life", our proclamation must also become a genuine celebration
of the Gospel of life. This celebration, with the evocative
power of its gestures, symbols and rites, should become a
precious and significant setting in which the beauty and
grandeur of this Gospel is handed on.
For this to happen, we need first of all to foster, in ourselves
and in others, a contemplative outlook. 107 Such an outlook
arises from faith in the God of life, who has created every
individual as a "wonder" (cf. Ps 139:14). It is the outlook of
those who see life in its deeper meaning, who grasp its utter
gratuitousness, its beauty and its invitation to freedom and
responsibility. It is the outlook of those who do not presume to
take possession of reality but instead accept it as a gift,
discovering in all things the reflection of the Creator and
seeing in every person his living image (cf. Gen 1:27; Ps 8:5).
This outlook does not give in to discouragement when confronted
by those who are sick, suffering, outcast or at death's door.
Instead, in all these situations it feels challenged to find
meaning, and precisely in these circumstances it is open to
perceiving in the face of every person a call to encounter,
dialogue and solidarity.
It is time for all of us to adopt this outlook, and with deep
religious awe to rediscover the ability to revere and honour
every person, as Paul VI invited us to do in one of his first
Christmas messages. 108 Inspired by this contemplative outlook,
the new people of the redeemed cannot but respond with songs of
joy, praise and thanksgiving for the priceless gift of life, for
the mystery of every individual's call to share through Christ
in the life of grace and in an existence of unending communion
with God our Creator and Father.
84. To celebrate the Gospel of life means to celebrate the God
of life, the God who gives life: "We must celebrate Eternal
Life, from which every other life proceeds. From this, in
proportion to its capacities, every being which in any way
participates in life, receives life. This Divine Life, which is
above every other life, gives and preserves life. Every life and
every living movement proceed from this Life which transcends
all life and every principle of life. It is to this that souls
owe their incorruptibility; and because of this all animals and
plants live, which receive only the faintest glimmer of life. To
men, beings made of spirit and matter, Life grants life. Even if
we should abandon Life, because of its overflowing love for man,
it converts us and calls us back to itself. Not only this: it
promises to bring us, soul and body, to perfect life, to
immortality. It is too little to say that this Life is alive: it
is the Principle of life, the Cause and sole Wellspring of life.
Every living thing must contemplate it and give it praise: it is
Life which overflows with life".109
Like the Psalmist, we too, in our daily prayer as individuals
and as a community, praise and bless God our Father, who knitted
us together in our mother's womb, and saw and loved us while we
were still without form (cf. Ps 139:13, 15-16). We exclaim with
overwhelming joy: "I give you thanks that I am fearfully,
wonderfully made; wonderful are your works. You know me through
and through" (Ps 139:14). Indeed, "despite its hardships, its
hidden mysteries, its suffering and its inevitable frailty, this
mortal life is a most beautiful thing, a marvel ever new and
moving, an event worthy of being exalted in joy and glory".110
Moreover, man and his life appear to us not only as one of the
greatest marvels of creation: for God has granted to man a
dignity which is near to divine (Ps 8:5-6). In every child which
is born and in every person who lives or dies we see the image
of God's glory. We celebrate this glory in every human being, a
sign of the living God, an icon of Jesus Christ.
We are called to express wonder and gratitude for the gift of
life and to welcome, savour and share the Gospel of life not
only in our personal and community prayer, but above all in the
celebrations of the liturgical year. Particularly important in
this regard are the Sacraments, the efficacious signs of the
presence and saving action of the Lord Jesus in Christian life.
The Sacraments make us sharers in divine life, and provide the
spiritual strength necessary to experience life, suffering and
death in their fullest meaning. Thanks to a genuine rediscovery
and a better appreciation of the significance of these rites,
our liturgical celebrations, especially celebrations of the
Sacraments, will be ever more capable of expressing the full
truth about birth, life, suffering and death, and will help us
to live these moments as a participation in the Paschal Mystery
of the Crucified and Risen Christ.
85. In celebrating the Gospel of life we also need toappreciate
and make good use of the wealth of gestures and symbols present
in the traditions and customs of different cultures and peoples.
There are special times and ways in which the peoples of
different nations and cultures express joy for a newborn life,
respect for and protection of individual human lives, care for
the suffering or needy, closeness to the elderly and the dying,
participation in the sorrow of those who mourn, and hope and
desire for immortality.
In view of this and following the suggestion made by the
Cardinals in the Consistory of 1991, I propose that a Day for
Life be celebrated each year in every country, as already
established by some Episcopal Conferences. The celebration of
this Day should be planned and carried out with the active
participation of all sectors of the local Church. Its primary
purpose should be to foster in individual consciences, in
families, in the Church and in civil society a recognition of
the meaning and value of human life at every stage and in every
condition. Particular attention should be drawn to the
seriousness of abortion and euthanasia, without neglecting other
aspects of life which from time to time deserve to be given
careful consideration, as occasion and circumstances demand.
86. As part of the spiritual worship acceptable to God (cf. Rom
12:1), the Gospel of life is to be celebrated above all in daily
living, which should be filled with self-giving love for others.
In this way, our lives will become a genuine and respon- sible
acceptance of the gift of life and a heartfelt song of praise
and gratitude to God who has given us this gift. This is already
happening in the many different acts of selfless generosity,
often humble and hidden, carried out by men and women, children
and adults, the young and the old, the healthy and the sick.
It is in this context, so humanly rich and filled with love,
that heroic actions too are born. These are the most solemn
celebration of the Gospel of life, for they proclaim it by the
total gift of self. They are the radiant manifestation of the
highest degree of love, which is to give one's life for the
person loved (cf. Jn 15:13). They are a sharing in the mystery
of the Cross, in which Jesus reveals the value of every person,
and how life attains its fullness in the sincere gift of self.
Over and above such outstanding moments, there is an everyday
heroism, made up of gestures of sharing, big or small, which
build up an authentic culture of life. A particularly
praiseworthy example of such gestures is the donation of organs,
performed in an ethically acceptable manner, with a view to
offering a chance of health and even of life itself to the sick
who sometimes have no other hope.
Part of this daily heroism is also the silent but effective and
eloquent witness of all those "brave mothers who devote
themselves to their own fam- ily without reserve, who suffer in
giving birth to their children and who are ready to make any
effort, to face any sacrifice, in order to pass on to them the
best of themselves".111 In living out their mission "these
heroic women do not always find support in the world around
them. On the contrary, the cultural models frequently promoted
and broadcast by the media do not encourage motherhood. In the
name of progress and modernity the values of fidelity, chastity,
sacrifice, to which a host of Christian wives and mothers have
borne and continue to bear outstanding witness, are presented as
obsolete ... We thank you, heroic mothers, for your invincible
love! We thank you for your intrepid trust in God and in his
love. We thank you for the sacrifice of your life ... In the
Paschal Mystery, Christ restores to you the gift you gave him.
Indeed, he has the power to give you back the life you gave him
as an offering".112
"What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith
but has not works?" (Jas 2:14): serving the Gospel of life.
87. By virtue of our sharing in Christ's royal mission, our
support and promotion of human life must be accomplished through
the service of charity, which finds expression in personal
witness, various forms of volunteer work, social activity and
political commitment. This is a particularly pressing need at
the present time, when the "culture of death" so forcefully
opposes the "culture of life" and often seems to have the upper
hand. But even before that it is a need which springs from
"faith working through love" (Gal 5:6). As the Letter of James
admonishes us: "What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says
he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a
brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one
of you says to them, ?Go in peace, be warmed and filled',
without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it
profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead"
(2:14-17).
In our service of charity, we must be inspired and distinguished
by a specific attitude: we must care for the other as a person
for whom God has made us responsible. As disciples of Jesus, we
are called to become neighbours to everyone (cf. Lk 10:29-37),
and to show special favour to those who are poorest, most alone
and most in need. In helping the hungry, the thirsty, the
foreigner, the naked, the sick, the imprisoned-as well as the
child in the womb and the old person who is suffering ornear
death-we have the opportunity to serve Jesus. He himself said:
"As you did it to one of the least of these my breth- ren, you
did it to me" (Mt 25:40). Hence we cannot but feel called to
account and judged by the ever relevant words of Saint John
Chrysostom: "Do you wish to honour the body of Christ? Do not
neglect it when you find it naked. Do not do it homage here in
the church with silk fabrics only to neglect it outside where it
suffers cold and nakedness".113
Where life is involved, the service of charity must be
profoundly consistent. It cannot tolerate bias and
discrimination, for human life is sacred and inviolable at every
stage and in every situation; it is an indivisible good. We need
then to "show care" for all life and for the life of everyone.
Indeed, at an even deeper level, we need to go to the very roots
of life and love.
It is this deep love for every man and woman which has given
rise down the centuries to an outstanding history of charity, a
history which has brought into being in the Church and society
many forms of service to life which evoke admiration from all
unbiased observers. Every Christian community, with a renewed
sense of responsibility, must continue to write this history
through various kinds of pastoral and social activity. To this
end, appropriate and effective programmes of support for new
life must be implemented, with special closeness to mothers who,
even without the help of the father, are not afraid to bring
their child into the world and to raise it. Similar care must be
shown for the life of the marginalized or suffering, especially
in its final phases.
88. All of this involves a patient and fearless work of
education aimed at encouraging one and all to bear each other's
burdens (cf. Gal 6:2). It requires a continuous promotion of
vocations to service, particularly among the young. It involves
the implementation of long-term practical projects and
initiatives inspired by the Gospel.
Many are the means towards this end which need to be developed
with skill and serious commitment. At the first stage of life,
centres for natural methods of regulating fertility should be
promoted as a valuable help to responsible parenthood, in which
all individuals, and in the first place the child, are
recognized and respected in their own right, and where every
decision is guided by the ideal of the sincere gift of self.
Marriage and family counselling agencies by their specific work
of guidance and prevention, carried out in accordance with an
anthropology consistent with the Christian vision of the person,
of the couple and of sexuality, also offer valuable help in
rediscovering the meaning of love and life, and in supporting
and accompanying every family in its mission as the "sanctuary
of life". Newborn life is also served by centres of assistance
and homes or centres where new life receives a welcome. Thanks
to the work of such centres, many unmarried mothers and couples
in difficulty discover new hope and find assistance and support
in overcoming hardship and the fear of accepting a newly
conceived life or life which has just come into the world.
When life is challenged by conditions of hardship,
maladjustment, sickness or rejection, other programmes-such as
communities for treating drug addiction, residential communities
for minors or the mentally ill, care and relief centres for AIDS
patients, associations for solidarity especially towards the
disabled-are eloquent expressions of what charity is able to
devise in order to give everyone new reasons for hope and
practical possibilities for life.
And when earthly existence draws to a close, it is again charity
which finds the most appropriate means for enabling the elderly,
especially those who can no longer look after themselves, and
the terminally ill to enjoy genuinely humane assistance and to
receive an adequate response to their needs, in particular their
anxiety and their loneliness. In these cases the role of
families is indispensable; yet families can receive much help
from social welfare agencies and, if necessary, from recourse to
palliative care, taking advantage of suitable medical and social
services available in public institutions or in the home.
In particular, the role of hospitals, clinics and convalescent
homes needs to be reconsidered. These should not merely be
institutions where care is provided for the sick or the dying.
Above all they should be places where suffering, pain and death
are acknowledged and understood in their human and specifically
Christian meaning. This must be especially evident and effective
in institutes staffed by Religious or in any way connected with
the Church.
89. Agencies and centers of service to life, and all other
initiatives of support and solidarity which circumstances may
from time to time suggest, need to be directed by people who are
generous in their involvement and fully aware of the importance
of the Gospel of life for the good of individuals and society.
A unique responsibility belongs to health-care personnel:
doctors, pharmacists, nurses, chaplains, men and women
religious, administrators and volunteers. Their profession calls
for them to be guardians and servants of human life. In today's
cultural and social context, in which science and the practice
of medicine risk losing sight of their inherent ethical
dimension, health-care professionals can be strongly tempted at
times to become manipulators of life, or even agents of death.
In the face of this temptation their responsibility today is
greatly increased. Its deepest inspiration and strongest support
lie in the intrinsic and undeniable ethical dimension of the
health-care profession, something already recognized by the
ancient and still relevant Hippocratic Oath, which requires
every doctor to commit himself to absolute respect for human
life and its sacredness.
Absolute respect for every innocent human life also requires the
exercise of conscientious objection in relation to procured
abortion and euthanasia. "Causing death" can never be considered
a form of medical treatment, even when the intention is solely
to comply with the patient's request. Rather, it runs completely
counter to the health- care profession, which is meant to be an
impassioned and unflinching affirmation of life. Bio- medical
research too, a field which promises great benefits for
humanity, must always reject experimentation, research or
applications which disregard the inviolable dignity of the human
being, and thus cease to be at the service of people and become
instead means which, under the guise of helping people, actually
harm them.
90. Volunteer workers have a specific role to play: they make a
valuable contribution to the service of life when they combine
professional ability and generous, selfless love. The Gospel of
life inspires them to lift their feelings of good will towards
others to the heights of Christ's charity; to renew every day,
amid hard work and weariness, their awareness of the dignity of
every person; to search out people's needs and, when necessary,
to set out on new paths where needs are greater but care and
support weaker.
If charity is to be realistic and effective, it demands that the
Gospel of life be implemented also by means of certain forms of
social activity and commitment in the political field, as a way
of defending and promoting the value of life in our ever more
complex and pluralistic societies. Individuals, families, groups
and associations, albeit for different reasons and in different
ways, all have a responsibility for shaping society and
developing cultural, economic, political and legislative
projects which, with respect for all and in keeping with
democratic principles, will contribute to the building of a
society in which the dignity of each person is recognized and
protected and the lives of all are defended and enhanced.
This task is the particular responsibility of civil leaders.
Called to serve the people and the common good, they have a duty
to make courageous choices in support of life, especially
through legislative measures. In a democratic system, where laws
and decisions are made on the basis of the consensus of many,
the sense of personal responsibility in the consciences of
individuals invested with authority may be weakened. But no one
can ever renounce this responsibility, especially when he or she
has a legislative or decision-making mandate, which calls that
person to answer to God, to his or her own conscience and to the
whole of society for choices which may be contrary to the common
good. Although laws are not the only means of protecting human
life, nevertheless they do play a very important and sometimes
decisive role in influencing patterns of thought and behavior.
I repeat once more that a law which violates an innocent
person's natural right to life is unjust and, as such, is not
valid as a law. For this reason I urgently appeal once more to
all political leaders not to pass laws which, by disregarding
the dignity of the person, undermine the very fabric of society.
The Church well knows that it is difficult to mount an effective
legal defense of life in pluralistic democracies, because of the
presence of strong cultural currents with differing outlooks. At
the same time, certain that moral truth cannot fail to make its
presence deeply felt in every conscience, the Church encourages
political leaders, starting with those who are Christians, not
to give in, but to make those choices which, takng into account
what is realistically attainable, will lead to the re-
establishment of a just order in the defense and promotion of
the value of life. Here it must be noted that it is not enough
to remove unjust laws. The underlying causes of attacks on life
have to be eliminated, especially by ensuring proper support for
families and motherhood. A family policy must be the basis and
driving force of all social policies. For this reason there need
to be set in place social and political initiatives capable of
guaranteeing conditions of true freedom of choice in matters of
parenthood. It is also necessary to rethink labour, urban,
residential and social service policies so as to harmonize
working schedules with time available for the family, so that it
becomes effectively possible to take care of children and the
elderly.
91. Today an important part of policies which favour life is the
issue of population growth. Certainly public authorities have a
responsibility to "intervene to orient the demography of the
population".114 But such interventions must always take into
account and respect the primary and inalienable responsibility
of married couples and families, and cannot employ methods which
fail to respect the person and fundamental human rights,
beginning with the right to life of every innocent human being.
It is therefore morally unacceptable to encourage, let alone
impose, the use of methods such as contraception, sterilization
and abortion in order to regulate births. The ways of solving
the population problem are quite different. Governments and the
various international agencies must above all strive to create
economic, social, public health and cultural conditions which
will enable married couples to make their choices about
procreation in full freedom and with genuine responsibility.
They must then make efforts to ensure "greater opportunities and
a fairer distribution of wealth so that everyone can share
equitably in the goods of creation. Solutions must be sought on
the global level by establishing a true economy of communion and
sharing of goods, in both the national and international
order".115 This is the only way to respect the dignity of
persons and families, as well as the authentic cultural
patrimony of peoples.
Service of the Gospel of life is thus an immense and complex
task. This service increasingly appears as a valuable and
fruitful area for positive cooperation with our brothers and
sisters of other Churches and ecclesial communities, in
accordance with the practical ecumenism which the Second Vatican
Council authoritatively encouraged. 116 It also appears as a
providential area for dialogue and joint efforts with the
followers of other religions and with all people of good will.
No single person or group has a monopoly on the defense and
promotion of life. These are everyone's task and responsibility.
On the eve of the Third Millennium, the challenge facing us is
an arduous one: only the concerted efforts of all those who
believe in the value of life can prevent a setback of
unforeseeable consequences for civilization.
"Your children will be like olive shoots around your table" (Ps
128:3): the family as the "sanctuary of life"
92. Within the "people of life and the people for life", the
family has a decisive responsibility. This responsibility flows
from its very nature as a community of life and love, founded
upon marriage, and from its mission to "guard, reveal and
communicate love".117 Here it is a matter of God's own love, of
which parents are co-workers and as it were interpreters when
they transmit life and raise it according to his fatherly plan.
118 This is the love that becomes selflessness, receptiveness
and gift. Within the family each member is accepted, respected
and honored precisely because he or she is a person; and if any
family member is in greater need, the care which he or she
receives is all the more intense and attentive.
The family has a special role to play throughout the life of its
members, from birth to death. It is truly "the sanctuary of
life: the place in which life-the gift of God-can be properly
welcomed and protected against the many attacks to which it is
exposed, and can develop in accordance with what constitutes
authentic human growth".119 Consequently the role of the family
in building a culture of life is decisive and irreplaceable.
As the domestic church, the family is summoned to proclaim,
celebrate and serve the Gospel of life. This is a responsibility
which first concerns married couples, called to be givers of
life, on the basis of an ever greater awareness of the meaning
of procreation as a unique event which clearly reveals that
human life is a gift received in order then to be given as a
gift. In giving origin to a new life, parents recognize that the
child, "as the fruit of their mutual gift of love, is, in turn,
a gift for both of them, a gift which flows from them".120
It is above all in raising children that the family fulfils its
mission to proclaim the Gospel of life. By word and example, in
the daily round of relations and choices, and through concrete
actions and signs, parents lead their children to authentic
freedom, actualized in the sincere gift of self, and they
cultivate in them respect for others, a sense of justice,
cordial openness, dialogue, generous service, solidarity and all
the other values which help people to live life as a gift. In
raising children Christian parents must be concerned about their
children's faith and help them to fulfill the vocation God has
given them. The parents' mission as educators also includes
teaching and giving their children an example of the true
meaning of suffering and death. They will be able to do this if
they are sensitive to all kinds of suffering around them and,
even more, if they succeed in fostering attitudes of closeness,
assistance and sharing towards sick or elderly members of the
family.
93. The family celebrates the Gospel of life through daily
prayer, both individual prayer and family prayer. The family
prays in order to glorify and give thanks to God for the gift of
life, and implores his light and strength in order to face times
of difficulty and suffering without losing hope. But the
celebration which gives meaning to every other form of prayer
and worship is found in the family's actual daily life together,
if it is a life of love and self-giving.
This celebration thus becomes a service to the Gospel of life,
expressed through solidarity as experienced within and around
the family in the form of concerned, attentive and loving care
shown in the humble, ordinary events of each day. A particularly
significant expression of solidarity between families is a
willingness to adopt or take in children abandoned by their
parents or in situations of serious hardship. True parental love
is ready to go beyond the bonds of flesh and blood in order to
accept children from other families, offering them whatever is
necessary for their well-being and full development. Among the
various forms of adoption, consideration should be given to
adoption-at-a-distance, preferable in cases where the only
reason for giving up the child is the extreme poverty of the
child's family. Through this type of adoption, parents are given
the help needed to support and raise their children, without
their being uprooted from their natural environment.
As "a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to
the common good",121 solidarity also needs to be practiced
through participation in social and political life. Serving the
Gospel of life thus means that the family, particularly through
its membership of family associations, works to ensure that the
laws and institutions of the State in no way violate the right
to life, from conception to natural death, but rather protect
and promote it.
94. Special attention must be given to the elderly. While in
some cultures older people remain a part of the family with an
important and active role, in others the elderly are regarded as
a useless burden and are left to themselves. Here the temptation
to resort to euthanasia can more easily arise.
Neglect of the elderly or their outright rejection are
intolerable. Their presence in the family, or at least their
closeness to the family in cases where limited living space or
other reasons make this impossible, is of fundamental importance
in creating a climate of mutual interaction and enriching
communication between the different age-groups. It is therefore
important to preserve, or to re-establish where it has been
lost, a sort of "covenant" between generations. In this way
parents, in their later years, can receive from their children
the acceptance and solidarity which they themselves gave to
their children when they brought them into the world. This is
required by obedience to the divine commandment to honour one's
father and mother (cf. Ex 20:12; Lev 19:3). But there is more.
The elderly are not only to be considered the object of our
concern, closeness and service. They themselves have a valuable
contribution to make to the Gospel of life. Thanks to the rich
treasury of experiences they have acquired through the years,
the elderly can and must be sources of wisdom and witnesses of
hope and love.
Although it is true that "the future of humanity passes by way
of the family",122 it must be admitted that modern social,
economic and cultural conditions make the family's task of
serving life more difficult and demanding. In order to fulfill
its vocation as the "sanctuary of life", as the cell of a
society which loves and welcomes life, the family urgently needs
to be helped and supported. Communities and States must
guarantee all the support, including economic support, which
families need in order to meet their problems in a truly human
way. For her part, the Church must untiringly promote a plan of
pastoral care for families, capable of making every family
rediscover and live with joy and courage its mission to further
the Gospel of life.
"Walk as children of light" (Eph 5:8): bringing about a
transformation of culture
95. "Walk as children of light ... and try to learn what is
pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of
darkness" (Eph 5:8, 10-11). In our present social context,
marked by a dramatic struggle between the "culture of life" and
the "culture of death", there is need to develop a deep critical
sense, capable of discerning true values and authentic needs.
What is urgently called for is a general mobilization of
consciences and a united ethical effort to activate a great
campaign in support of life. All together, we must build a new
culture of life: new, because it will be able to confront and
solve today's unprecedented problems affecting human life; new,
because it will be adopted with deeper and more dynamic
conviction by all Christians; new, because it will be capable of
bringing about a serious and courageous cultural dialogue among
all parties. While the urgent need for such a cultural
transformation is linked to the present historical situation, it
is also rooted in the Church's mission of evangelization. The
purpose of the Gospel, in fact, is "to transform humanity from
within and to make it new".123 Like the yeast which leavens the
whole measure of dough (cf. Mt 13:33), the Gospel is meant to
permeate all cultures and give them life from within, 124 so
that they may express the full truth about the human person and
about human life.
We need to begin with the renewal of a culture of life within
Christian communities themselves. Too often it happens that
believers, even those who take an active part in the life of the
Church, end up by separating their Christian faith from its
ethical requirements concerning life, and thus fall into moral
subjectivism and certain objectionable ways of acting. With
great openness and courage, we need to question how widespread
is the culture of life today among individual Christians,
families, groups and communities in our Dioceses. With equal
clarity and determination we must identify the steps we are
called to take in order to serve life in all its truth. At the
same time, we need to promote a serious and in-depth exchange
about basic issues of human life with everyone, including
non-believers, in intellectual circles, in the various
professional spheres and at the level of people's everyday life.
96. The first and fundamental step towards this cultural
transformation consists in forming consciences with regard to
the incomparable and inviolable worth of every human life. It is
of the greatest importance to re-establish the essential
connection between life and freedom. These are inseparable
goods: where one is violated, the other also ends up being
violated. There is no true freedom where life is not welcomed
and loved; and there is no fullness of life except in freedom.
Both realities have something inherent and specific which links
them inextricably: the vocation to love. Love, as a sincere gift
of self, 125 is what gives the life and freedom of the person
their truest meaning.
No less critical in the formation of conscience is the recovery
of the necessary link between freedom and truth. As I have
frequently stated, when freedom is detached from objective truth
it becomes impossible to establish personal rights on a firm
rational basis; and the ground is laid for society to be at the
mercy of the unrestrained will of individuals or the oppressive
totalitarianism of public authority. 126
It is therefore essential that man should acknowledge his
inherent condition as a creature to whom God has granted being
and life as a gift and a duty. Only by admitting his innate
dependence can man live and use his freedom to the full, and at
the same time respect the life and freedom of every other
person. Here especially one sees that "at the heart of every
culture lies the attitude man takes to the greatest mystery: the
mystery of God".127 Where God is denied and people live as
though he did not exist, or his commandments are not taken into
account, the dignity of the human person and the inviolability
of human life also end up being rejected or compromised.
97. Closely connected with the formation of conscience is the
work of education, which helps individuals to be ever more
human, leads them ever more fully to the truth, instills in them
growing respect for life, and trains them in right interpersonal
relationships.
In particular, there is a need for education about the value of
life from its very origins. It is an illusion to think that we
can build a true culture of human life if we do not help the
young to accept and experience sexuality and love and the whole
of life according to their true meaning and in their close
interconnection. Sexuality, which enriches the whole person,
"manifests its inmost meaning in leading the person to the gift
of self in love".128 The trivialization of sexuality is among
the principal factors which have led to contempt for new life.
Only a true love is able to protect life. There can be no
avoiding the duty to offer, especially to adolescents and young
adults, an authentic education in sexuality and in love, an
education which involves training in chastity as a virtue which
fosters personal maturity and makes one capable of respecting
the "spousal" meaning of the body.
The work of educating in the service of life involves the
training of married couples in responsible procreation. In its
true meaning, responsible procreation requires couples to be
obedient to the Lord's call and to act as faithful interpreters
of his plan. This happens when the family is generously open to
new lives, and when couples maintain an attitude of openness and
service to life, even if, for serious reasons and in respect for
the moral law, they choose to avoid a new birth for the time
being or indefinitely. The moral law obliges them in every case
to control the impulse of instinct and passion, and to respect
the biological laws inscribed in their person. It is precisely
this respect which makes legitimate, at the service of
responsible procreation, the use of natural methods of
regulating fertility. From the scientific point of view, these
methods are becoming more and more accurate and make it possible
in practice to make choices in harmony with moral values. An
honest appraisal of their effectiveness should dispel certain
prejudices which are still widely held, and should convince
married couples, as well as health-care and social workers, of
the importance of proper training in this area. The Church is
grateful to those who, with personal sacrifice and often
unacknowledged dedication, devote themselves to the study and
spread of these methods, as well to the promotion of education
in the moral values which they presuppose.
The work of education cannot avoid a consideration of suffering
and death. These are a part of human existence, and it is
futile, not to say misleading, to try to hide them or ignore
them. On the contrary, people must be helped to understand their
profound mystery in all its harsh reality. Even pain and
suffering have meaning and value when they are experienced in
close connection with love received and given. In this regard, I
have called for the yearly celebration of the World Day of the
Sick, emphasizing "the salvific nature of the offering up of
suffering which, experienced in communion with Christ, belongs
to the very essence of the Redemption".129 Death itself is
anything but an event without hope. It is the door which opens
wide on eternity and, for those who live in Christ, an
experience of participation in the mystery of his Death and
Resurrection.
98. In a word, we can say that the cultural change which we are
calling for demands from everyone the courage to adopt a new
life-style, consisting in making practical choices-at the
personal, family, social and international level-on the basis of
a correct scale of values: the primacy of being over having, 130
of the person over things. 131 This renewed life-style involves
a passing from indifference to concern for others, from
rejection to acceptance of them. Other people are not rivals
from whom we must defend ourselves, but brothers and sisters to
be supported. They are to be loved for their own sakes, and they
enrich us by their very presence.
In this mobilization for a new culture of life no one must feel
excluded: everyone has an important role to play. Together with
the family, teachers and educators have a particularly valuable
contribution to make. Much will depend on them if young people,
trained in true freedom, are to be able to preserve for
themselves and make known to others new, authentic ideals of
life, and if they are to grow in respect for and service to
every other person, in the family and in society.
Intellectuals can also do much to build a new culture of human
life. A special task falls to Catholic intellectuals, who are
called to be present and active in the leading centers where
culture is formed, in schools and universities, in places of
scientific and technological research, of artistic creativity
and of the study of man. Allowing their talents and activity to
be nourished by the living force of the Gospel, they ought to
place themselves at the service of a new culture of life by
offering serious and well documented contributions, capable of
commanding general respect and interest by reason of their
merit. It was precisely for this purpose that I established the
Pontifical Academy for Life, assigning it the task of
"studying and providing information and training about the
principal problems of law and biomedicine pertaining to the
promotion of life, especially in the direct relationship they
have with Christian morality and the directives of the Church's
Magisterium".132 A specific contribution will also have to come
from Universities, particularly from Catholic Universities, and
from Centers, Institutes and Committees of Bioethics.
An important and serious responsibility belongs to those
involved in the mass media, who are called to ensure that the
messages which they so effectively transmit will support the
culture of life. They need to present noble models of life and
make room for instances of people's positive and sometimes
heroic love for others. With great respect they should also
present the positive values of sexuality and human love, and not
insist on what defiles and cheapens human dignity. In their
interpretation of things, they should refrain from emphasizing
anything that suggests or fosters feelings or attitudes of
indifference, contempt or rejection in relation to life. With
scrupulous concern for factual truth, they are called to combine
freedom of information with respect for every person and a
profound sense of humanity.
99. In transforming culture so that it supports life, women
occupy a place, in thought and action, which is unique and
decisive. It depends on them to promote a "new feminism" which
rejects the temptation of imitating models of "male domination",
in order to acknowledge and affirm the true genius of women in
every aspect of the life of society, and overcome all
discrimination, violence and exploitation.
Making my own the words of the concluding message of the Second
Vatican Council, I address to women this urgent appeal:
"Reconcile people with life".133 You are called to bear witness
to the meaning of genuine love, of that gift of self and of that
acceptance of others which are present in a special way in the
relationship of husband and wife, but which ought also to be at
the heart of every other interpersonal relationship. The
experience of motherhood makes you acutely aware of the other
person and, at the same time, confers on you a particular task:
"Motherhood involves a special communion with the mystery of
life, as it develops in the woman's womb ... This unique contact
with the new human being developing within her gives rise to an
attitude towards human beings not only towards her own child,
but every human being, which profoundly marks the woman's
personality".134 A mother welcomes and carries in herself
another human being, enabling it to grow inside her, giving it
room, respecting it in its otherness. Women first learn and then
teach others that human relations are authentic if they are open
to accepting the other person: a person who is recognized and
loved because of the dignity which comes from being a person and
not from other considerations, such as usefulness, strength,
intelligence, beauty or health. This is the fundamental
contribution which the Church and humanity expect from women.
And it is the indispensable prerequisite for an authentic
cultural change.
I would now like to say a special word to women who have had an
abortion. The Church is aware of the many factors which may have
influenced your decision, and she does not doubt that in many
cases it was a painful and even shattering decision. The wound
in your heart may not yet have healed. Certainly what happened
was and remains terribly wrong. But do not give in to
discouragement and do not lose hope. Try rather to understand
what happened and face it honestly. If you have not already done
so, give yourselves over with humility and trust to repentance.
The Father of mercies is ready to give you his forgiveness and
his peace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. To the same Father
and his mercy you can with sure hope entrust your child. With
the friendly and expert help and advice of other people, and as
a result of your own painful experience, you can be among the
most eloquent defenders of everyone's right to life. Through
your commitment to life, whether by accepting the birth of other
children or by welcoming and caring for those most in need of
someone to be close to them, you will become promoters of a new
way of looking at human life.
100. In this great endeavour to create a new culture of life we
are inspired and sustained by the confidence that comes from
knowing that the Gospel of life, like the Kingdom of God itself,
is growing and producing abundant fruit (cf. Mk 4:26-29). There
is certainly an enormous disparity between the powerful
resources available to the forces promoting the "culture of
death" and the means at the disposal of those working for a
"culture of life and love". But we know that we can rely on the
help of God, for whom nothing is impossible (cf. Mt 19:26).
Filled with this certainty, and moved by profound concern for
the destiny of every man and woman, I repeat what I said to
those families who carry out their challenging mission amid so
many difficulties: 135 a great prayer for life is urgently
needed, a prayer which will rise up throughout the world.
Through special initiatives and in daily prayer, may an
impassioned plea rise to God, the Creator and lover of life,
from every Christian community, from every group and
association, from every family and from the heart of every
believer. Jesus himself has shown us by his own example that
prayer and fasting are the first and most effective weapons
against the forces of evil (cf. Mt 4:1-11). As he taught his
disciples, some demons cannot be driven out except in this way
(cf. Mk 9:29). Let us therefore discover anew the humility and
the courage to pray and fast so that power from on high will
break down the walls of lies and deceit: the walls which conceal
from the sight of so many of our brothers and sisters the evil
of practices and laws which are hostile to life. May this same
power turn their hearts to resolutions and goals inspired by the
civilization of life and love.
"We are writing this that our joy may be complete" (1 Jn 1:4):
the Gospel of life is for the whole of human society
101. "We are writing you this that our joy may be complete" (1
Jn 1:4). The revelation of the Gospel of life is given to us as
a good to be shared with all people: so that all men and women
may have fellowship with us and with the Trinity (cf. 1 Jn 1:3).
Our own joy would not be complete if we failed to share this
Gospel with others but kept it only for ourselves.
The Gospel of life is not for believers alone: it is for
everyone. The issue of life and its defense and promotion is not
a concern of Christians alone. Although faith provides special
light and strength, this question arises in every human
conscience which seeks the truth and which cares about the
future of humanity. Life certainly has a sacred and religious
value, but in no way is that value a concern only of believers.
The value at stake is one which every human being can grasp by
the light of reason; thus it necessarily concerns everyone.
Consequently, all that we do as the "people of life and for
life" should be interpreted correctly and welcomed with favour.
When the Church declares that unconditional respect for the
right to life of every innocent person-from conception to
natural death-is one of the pillars on which every civil society
stands, she "wants simply to promote a human State. A State
which recognizes the defense of the fundamental rights of the
human person, especially of the weakest, as its primary
duty".136
The Gospel of life is for the whole of human society. To be
actively pro-life is to contribute to the renewal of society
through the promotion of the common good. It is impossible to
further the common good without acknowledging and defending the
right to life, upon which all the other inalienable rights of
individuals are founded and from which they develop. A society
lacks solid foundations when, on the one hand, it asserts values
such as the dignity of the person, justice and peace, but then,
on the other hand, radically acts to the contrary by allowing or
tolerating a variety of ways in which human life is devalued and
violated, especially where it is weak or marginalized. Only
respect for life can be the foundation and guarantee of the most
precious and essential goods of society, such as democracy and
peace.
There can be no true democracy without a recognition of every
person's dignity and without respect for his or her rights.
Nor can there be true peace unless life is defended and
promoted. As Paul VI pointed out: "Every crime against life is
an attack on peace, especially if it strikes at the moral
conduct of people... But where human rights are truly professed
and publicly recognized and defended, peace becomes the joyful
and operative climate of life in society".137
The "people of life" rejoices in being able to share its
commitment with so many others. Thus may the "people for life"
constantly grow in number and may a new culture of love and
solidarity develop for the true good of the whole of human
society.
CONCLUSION
102. At the end of this Encyclical, we naturally look again to
the Lord Jesus, "the Child born for us" (cf. Is 9:6), that in
him we may contemplate "the Life" which "was made manifest" (1
Jn 1:2). In the mystery of Christ's Birth the encounter of God
with man takes place and the earthly journey of the Son of God
begins, a journey which will culminate in the gift of his life
on the Cross. By his death Christ will conquer death and become
for all humanity the source of new life.
The one who accepted "Life" in the name of all and for the sake
of all was Mary, the Virgin Mother; she is thus most closely and
personally associated with the Gospel of life. Mary's consent at
the Annunciation and her motherhood stand at the very beginning
of the mystery of life which Christ came to bestow on humanity
(cf. Jn 10:10). Through her acceptance and loving care for the
life of the Incarnate Word, human life has been rescued from
condemnation to final and eternal death.
For this reason, Mary, "like the Church of which she is the
type, is a mother of all who are reborn to life. She is in fact
the mother of the Life by which everyone lives, and when she
brought it forth from herself she in some way brought to rebirth
all those who were to live by that Life".138
As the Church contemplates Mary's motherhood, she discovers the
meaning of her own motherhood and the way in which she is called
to express it. At the same time, the Church's experience of
motherhood leads to a most profound understanding of Mary's
experience as the incomparable model of how life should be
welcomed and cared for.
"A great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the
sun" (Rev 12:1): the motherhood of Mary and of the Church
103. The mutual relationship between the mystery of the Church
and Mary appears clearly in the "great portent" described in the
Book of Rev- elation: "A great portent appeared in heaven, a
woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on
her head a crown of twelve stars" (12:1). In this sign the
Church recognizes an image of her own mystery: present in
history, she knows that she transcends history, inasmuch as she
constitutes on earth the "seed and beginning" of the Kingdom of
God. 139 The Church sees this mystery fulfilled in complete and
exemplary fashion in Mary. She is the woman of glory in whom
God's plan could be carried out with supreme perfection.
The "woman clothed with the sun"-the Book of Revelation tells
us-"was with child" (12:2). The Church is fully aware that she
bears within herself the Saviour of the world, Christ the Lord.
She is aware that she is called to offer Christ to the world,
giving men and women new birth into God's own life. But the
Church cannot forget that her mission was made possible by the
motherhood of Mary, who conceived and bore the One who is "God
from God", "true God from true God". Mary is truly the Mother of
God, the Theotokos, in whose motherhood the vocation to
motherhood bestowed by God on every woman is raised to its
highest level. Thus Mary becomes the model of the Church, called
to be the "new Eve", the mother of believers, the mother of the
"living" (cf. Gen 3:20).
The Church's spiritual motherhood is only achieved-the Church
knows this too-through the pangs and "the labour" of childbirth
(cf. Rev 12:2), that is to say, in constant tension with the
forces of evil which still roam the world and affect human
hearts, offering resistance to Christ: "In him was life, and the
life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and
the darkness has not overcome it" (Jn 1:4-5).
Like the Church, Mary too had to live her motherhood amid
suffering: "This child is set ... for a sign that is spoken
against-and a sword will pierce through your own soul also-that
thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed" (Lk 2:34-35). The
words which Simeon addresses to Mary at the very beginning of
the Saviour's earthly life sum up and prefigure the rejection of
Jesus, and with him of Mary, a rejection which will reach its
culmination on Calvary. "Standing by the cross of Jesus" (Jn
19:25), Mary shares in the gift which the Son makes of himself:
she offers Jesus, gives him over, and begets him to the end for
our sake. The "yes" spoken on the day of the Annunciation
reaches full maturity on the day of the Cross, when the time
comes for Mary to receive and beget as her children all those
who become disciples, pouring out upon them the saving love of
her Son: "When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he
loved standing near, he said to his mother, ?Woman, behold, your
son!' " (Jn 19:26).
"And the dragon stood before the woman ... that he might devour
her child when she brought it forth" (Rev 12:4): life menaced by
the forces of evil
104. In the Book of Revelation, the "great portent" of the
"woman" (12:1) is accompanied by "another portent which appeared
in heaven": "a great red dragon" (Rev 12:3), which represents
Satan, the personal power of evil, as well as all the powers of
evil at work in history and opposing the Church's mission.
Here too Mary sheds light on the Community of Believers. The
hostility of the powers of evil is, in fact, an insidious
opposition which, before affecting the disciples of Jesus, is
directed against his mother. To save the life of her Son from
those who fear him as a dangerous threat, Mary has to flee with
Joseph and the Child into Egypt (cf. Mt 2:13-15).
Mary thus helps the Church to realize that life is always at the
centre of a great struggle between good and evil, between light
and darkness. The dragon wishes to devour "the child brought
forth" (cf. Rev 12:4), a figure of Christ, whom Mary brought
forth "in the fullness of time" (Gal 4:4) and whom the Church
must unceasingly offer to people in every age. But in a way that
child is also a figure of every person, every child, especially
every helpless baby whose life is threatened, because-as the
Council reminds us-"by his Incarnation the Son of God has united
himself in some fashion with every person".140 It is precisely
in the "flesh" of every person that Christ continues to reveal
himself and to enter into fellowship with us, so that rejection
of human life, in whatever form that rejection takes, is really
a rejection of Christ. This is the fascinating but also
demanding truth which Christ reveals to us and which his Church
continues untiringly to proclaim: "Whoever receives one such
child in my name receives me" (Mt 18:5); "Truly, I say to you,
as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did
it to me" (Mt 25:40).
"Death shall be no more" (Rev 21:4): the splendour of the
Resurrection
105. The angel's Annunciation to Mary is framed by these
reassuring words: "Do not be afraid, Mary" and "with God nothing
will be impossible" (Lk 1:30, 37). The whole of the Virgin
Mother's life is in fact pervaded by the certainty that God is
near to her and that he accompanies her with his providential
care. The same is true of the Church, which finds "a place
prepared by God" (Rev 12:6) in the desert, the place of trial
but also of the manifestation of God's love for his people (cf.
Hos 2:16). Mary is a living word of comfort for the Church in
her struggle against death. Showing us the Son, the Church
assures us that in him the forces of death have already been
defeated: "Death with life contended: combat strangely ended!
Life's own Champion, slain, yet lives to reign".141
The Lamb who was slain is alive, bearing the marks of his
Passion in the splendour of the Res- urrection. He alone is
master of all the events of history: he opens its "seals" (cf.
Rev 5:1-10) and proclaims, in time and beyond, the power of life
over death. In the "new Jerusalem", that new world towards which
human history is travelling, "death shall be no more, neither
shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the
former things have passed away" (Rev 21:4).
And as we, the pilgrim people, the people of life and for life,
make our way in confidence towards "a new heaven and a new
earth" (Rev 21:1), we look to her who is for us "a sign of sure
hope and solace".142
O Mary,
bright dawn of the new world,
Mother of the living,
to you do we entrust the cause of life
Look down, O Mother,
upon the vast numbers
of babies not allowed to be born,
of the poor whose lives are made difficult,
of men and women
who are victims of brutal violence,
of the elderly and the sick killed
by indifference or out of misguided mercy.
Grant that all who believe in your Son
may proclaim the Gospel of life
with honesty and love
to the people of our time.
Obtain for them the grace
to accept that Gospel
as a gift ever new,
the joy of celebrating it with gratitude
throughout their lives
and the courage to bear witness to it
resolutely, in order to build,
together with all people of good will,
the civilization of truth and love,
to the praise and glory of God,
the Creator and lover of life.
Given in Rome, at Saint Peter's, on 25 March, the Solemnity of
the Annunciation of the Lord, in the year 1995, the seventeenth
of my Pontificate.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 The expression "Gospel of life" is not found as such in Sacred
Scripture. But it does correspond to an essential dimension of
the biblical message.
2 Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
Gaudium et Spes, 22.
3 Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptor Hominis (4 March
1979), 10; AAS 71 (1979), 275.
4 Cf. ibid., 14: loc.cit., 285.
5 Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
Gaudium et Spes, 27.
6 Cf. Letter to all my Brothers in the Episcopate regarding the
"Gospel of Life" (19 May 1991): Insegnamenti XIV, 1 (1991),
1293-1296.
7 Ibid., loc.cit., p. 1294.
8 Letter to Families Gratissimam sane (2 February 1994), 4: AAS
86 (1994), 871.
9 John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus (1 May 1991),
39: AAS 83 (1991), 842.
10 No. 2259.
11 Saint Ambrose, De Noe, 26:94-96: CSEL 32, 480-481.
12 Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, Nos. 1867 and 2268.
13 De Cain et Abel, II, 10, 38: CSEL, 32, 408.
14 Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction
on Respect for Human Life in its Origin and on the Dignity of
Procreation Donum Vitae: AAS 80 (1988), 70-102.
15 Address during the Prayer Vigil for the Eighth World Youth
Day, Denver, 14 August 1993, II, 3: AAS 86 (1994), 419.
16 John Paul II, Address to the Participants at the Study
Conference on "The Right to Life and Europe", 18 December 1987:
Insegnamenti, X, 3 (1987), 1446-1447.
17 Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
Gaudium et Spes, 36.
18 Cf. ibid., 16.
19 Cf. Saint Gregory the Great, Moralia in Job, 13, 23: CCL
143A, 683.
20 John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptor Hominis (4 March
1979), 10; AAS 71 (1979), 274.
21 Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on
the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 50.
22 Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum, 4.
23 "Gloria Dei vivens homo": Adversus Haereses, IV, 20, 7: SCh
100/2, 648-649.
24 Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on
the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 12.
25 Confessions, I, 1: CCL 27, 1.
26 Exameron, VI, 75-76: CSEL 32, 260-261.
27 "Vita autem hominis visio Dei": Adversus Haereses, IV, 20, 7:
SCh 100/2, 648-649.
28 Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus (1 May
1991), 38: AAS 83 (1991), 840-841.
29 John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (30
December 1987), 34: AAS 80 (1988), 560.
30 Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
Gaudium et Spes, 50.
31 Letter to Families Gratissimam sane (2 February 1994), 9: AAS
86 (1994), 878; cf. Pius XII, Encyclical Letter Humani Generis
(12 August 1950): AAS 42 (1950), 574.
32 "Animas enim a Deo immediate creari catholica fides nos
retinere iubet": Pius XII, Encyclical Letter Humani Generis (12
August 1950): AAS 42 (1950), 575.
33 Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on
the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 50; cf. John
Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio
(22 November 1981), 28: AAS 74 (1982), 114.
34 Homilies, II, 1; CCSG 3, 39.
35 See, for example, Psalms 22:10-11; 71:6; 139:13-14.
36 Expositio Evangelii secundum Lucam, II, 22-23: CCL, 14,
40-41.
37 Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Ephesians, 7, 2:
Patres Apostolici, ed. F.X. Funk, II, 82.
38 De Hominis Opificio, 4: PG 44, 136.
39 Cf. Saint John Damascene, De Fide Orthodoxa, 2, 12: PG 94,
920.922, quoted in Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, I-II,
Prologue.
40 Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Humanae Vitae (25 July 1968), 13:
AAS 60 (1968), 489.
41 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction on
Respect for Human Life in its Origin and on the Dignity of
Procreation Donum Vitae (22 February 1987), Introduction, No. 5:
AAS 80 (1988), 76-77; cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, No.
2258.
42 Didache, I, 1; II, 1-2; V, 1 and 3: Patres Apostolici, ed.
F.X. Funk, I, 2-3, 6-9, 14-17; cf. Letter of Pseudo-Barnabas,
XIX, 5: loc. cit., 90-93.
43 Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, Nos. 2263-2269; cf.
also Catechism of the Council of Trent III, §§ 327-332.
44 Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2265.
45 Cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, II-II, q. 64, a.
7; Saint Alphonsus De' Liguori, Theologia Moralis, l. III, tr.
4, c. 1, dub.3.
46 Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2266.
47 Cf. ibid.
48 No. 2267.
49 Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on
the Church Lumen Gentium, 12.
50 Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on
the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 27.
51 Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on
the Church Lumen Gentium, 25.
52 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration on
Euthanasia Iura et Bona (5 May 1980), II: AAS 72 (1980), 546.
53 Encyclical Letter Veritatis Splendor (6 August 1993), 96: AAS
85 (1993), 1209.
54 Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on
the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 51, "Abortus
necnon infanticidium nefanda sunt crimina".
55 Cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem (15
August 1988), 14: AAS 80 (1988), 1686.
56 No. 21: AAS 86 (1994), 920.
57 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration on
Procured Abortion (18 November 1974), Nos. 12-13: AAS 66 (1974),
738.
58 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction on
Respect for Human Life in its Origin and on the Dignity of
Procreation Donum Vitae (22 February 1987), I, No. 1: AAS 80
(1988), 78-79.
59 Ibid., loc. cit., 79.
60 Hence the Prophet Jeremiah: "The word of the Lord came to me
saying: 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before
you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to
the nations'" (1:4-5). The Psalmist, for his part, addresses the
Lord in these words: "Upon you I have leaned from my birth; you
are he who took me from my mother's womb" (Ps 71:6; cf. Is 46:3;
Job 10:8-12; Ps 22:10-11). So too the Evangelist Luke - in the
magnificent episode of the meeting of the two mothers, Elizabeth
and Mary, and their two sons, John the Baptist and Jesus, still
hidden in their mothers' wombs (cf. 1:39-45) - emphasizes how
even before their birth the two little ones are able to
communicate: the child recognizes the coming of the Child and
leaps for joy.
61 Cf. Declaration on Procured Abortion (18 November 1974), No.
7: AAS 66 (1974), 740-747.
62 "You shall not kill a child by abortion nor shall you kill it
once it is born": V, 2: Patres Apostolici, ed. F.X. Funk, I, 17.
63 Apologia on behalf of the Christians, 35: PG 6, 969.
64 Apologeticum, IX, 8: CSEL 69, 24.
65 Cf. Encyclical Letter Casti Connubii (31 December 1930), II:
AAS 22 (1930), 562-592.
66 Address to the Biomedical Association "San Luca" (12 November
1944): Discorsi e Radiomessaggi, VI (1944-1945), 191; cf.
Address to the Italian Catholic Union of Midwives (29 October
1951), No. 2: AAS 43 (1951), 838.
67 Encyclical Letter Mater et Magistra (15 May 1961), 3: AAS 53
(1961), 447.
68 Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
Gaudium et Spes, 51.
69 Canon 2350, § 1.
70 Code of Canon Law, canon 1398; cf. Code of Canons of the
Eastern Churches, canon 1450, § 2.
71 Cf. ibid., canon 1329; also Code of Canons of the Eastern
Churches, canon 1417.
72 Cf. Address to the National Congress of Italian Jurists (9
December 1972): AAS 64 (1972), 777; Encyclical Letter Humanae
Vitae (25 July 1968), 14: AAS 60 (1968), 490.
73 Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on
the Church Lumen Gentium, 25.
74 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction on
Respect for Human Life in its Origin and on the Dignity of
Procreation Donum Vitae (22 February 1987), I, 3: AAS 80 (1988),
80.
75 Charter of the Rights of the Family (22 October 1983),
article 4b: Vatican Polyglot Press, 1983.
76 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration on
Euthanasia Iura et Bona (5 May 1980), II: AAS 72 (1980), 546.
77 Ibid., IV: loc. cit., 551.
78 Cf. ibid.
79 Pius XII, Address to an International Group of Physicians (24
February 1957), III: AAS 49 (1957), 147; cf. Congregation for
the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration on Euthanasia Iura et
Bona, III: AAS 72 (1980), 547-548.
80 Pius XII, Address to an International Group of Physicians (24
February 1957), III: AAS 49 (1957), 145.
81 Pius XII, Address to an International Group of Physicians (24
February 1957): loc. cit., 129-147; Congregation of the Holy
Office, Decretum de directa insontium occisione (2 December
1940): AAS 32 (1940), 553-554; Paul VI, Message to French
Television: "Every life is sacred" (27 January 1971):
Insegnamenti IX (1971), 57-58; Address to the International
College of Surgeons (1 June 1972): AAS 64 (1972), 432-436;
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on the
Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 27.
82 Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution
on the Church Lumen Gentium, 25.
83 Cf. Saint Augustine, De Civitate Dei I, 20: CCL 47, 22; Saint
Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, II-II, q. 6, a. 5.
84 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration on
Euthanasia Iura et Bona (5 May 1980), I: AAS 72 (1980), 545;
Catechism of the Catholic Church, Nos. 2281-2283.
85 Ep. 204, 5: CSEL 57, 320.
86 Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
Gaudium et Spes, 18.
87 Cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Salvifici Doloris (11
February 1984), 14-24: AAS 76 (1984), 214-234.
88 Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus (1 May
1991), 46: AAS 83 (1991), 850; Pius XII, Christmas Radio Message
(24 December 1944): AAS 37 (1945), 10-20.
89 Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Veritatis Splendor (6
August 1993), 97 and 99: AAS 85 (1993), 1209-1211.
90 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction on
Respect for Human Life in its Origin and on the Dignity of
Procreation Donum Vitae (22 February 1987), III: AAS 80 (1988),
98.
91 Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Declaration on
Religious Freedom Dignitatis Humanae, 7.
92 Cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I-II, q. 96, a. 2.
93 Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Declaration on
Religious Freedom Dignitatis Humanae, 7.
94 Encyclical Letter Pacem in Terris (11 April 1963), II: AAS 55
(1963), 273-274. The internal quote is from Pius XII, Radio
Message of Pentecost 1941 (1 June 1941): AAS 33 (1941), 200. On
this topic, the Encyclical cites: Pius XII, Encyclical Letter
Mit brennender Sorge (14 March 1937): AAS 29 (1937): AAS 29
(1937), 159; Encyclical Letter Divini Redemptoris (19 March
1937), III: AAS 29 (1937), 79; Pius XII, Christmas Radio Message
(24 December 1942): AAS 35 (1943), 9-24.
95 Encyclical Letter Pacem in Terris (11 April 1963), II: loc.
cit., 271.
96 Summa Theologiae I-II, q. 93, a. 3, ad 2um.
97 Ibid., I-II, q. 95, a. 2. Aquinas quotes Saint Augustine:
"Non videtur esse lex, quae iusta non fuerit", De Libero
Arbitrio, I, 5, 11: PL 32, 1227.
98 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration on
Procured Abortion (18 November 1974), No. 22: AAS 66 (1974),
744.
99 Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, Nos. 1753-1755; John
Paul II, Encyclical Letter Veritatis Splendor (6 August 1993),
81-82: AAS 85 (1993), 1198-1199.
100 In Iohannis Evangelium Tractatus, 41, 10: CCL 36, 363; cf.
John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Veritatis Splendor (6 August
1993), 13: AAS 85 (1993), 1144.
101 Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi (8 December 1975),
14: AAS 68 (1976), 13.
102 Cf. Roman Missal, prayer of the celebrant before communion.
103 Cf. Saint Irenaeus: "Omnem novitatem attulit, semetipsum
afferens, qui fuerat annuntiatus", Adversus Haereses: IV, 34, 1:
SCh 100/2, 846-847.
104 Cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, "Peccator inveterascit, recedens a
novitate Christi", In Psalmos Davidis Lectura: 6,5.
105 De Beatitudinibus, Oratio VII: PG 44, 1280.
106 Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Veritatis Splendor (6
August 1993), 116: AAS 85 (1993), 1224.
107 Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus (1 May
1991), 37: AAS 83 (1991), 840.
108 Cf. Message for Christmas 1967: AAS 60 (1968), 40.
109 Pseudo- Dionysius the Areopagite, On the Divine Names, 6,
1-3: PG 3, 856-857.
110 Paul VI, Pensiero alla Morte, Istituto Paolo VI, Brescia
1988, 24.
111 John Paul II, Homily for the Beatification of Isidore
Bakanja, Elisabetta Canori Mora and Gianna Beretta Molla (24
April 1994): L'Osservatore Romano, 25-26 April 1994, 5.
112 Ibid.
113 In Matthaeum, Hom. L, 3: PG 58, 508.
114 Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2372.
115 John Paul II, Address to the Fourth General Conference of
Latin American Bishops in Santo Domingo (12 October 1992), No.
15: AAS 85 (1993), 819.
116 Cf. Decree on Ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio, 12; Pastoral
Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes,
90.
117 John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris
Consortio (22 November 1981), 17: AAS 74 (1982), 100.
118 Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution
on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 50.
119 John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus (1 May
1991), 39: AAS 83 (1991), 842.
120 John Paul II, Address to Participants in the Seventh
Symposium of European Bishops, on the theme of "Contemporary
Attitudes towards Life and Death: a Challenge for
Evangelization" (17 October 1989), No. 5: Insegnamenti XII, 2
(1989), 945. Children are presented in the Biblical tradition
precisely as God's gift (cf. Ps 127:3) and as a sign of his
blessing on those who walk in his ways (cf. Ps 128:3-4).
121 John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (30
December 1987), 38: AAS 80 (1988), 565-566.
122 John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris
Consortio (22 November 1981), 86: AAS 74 (1982), 188.
123 Paul VI, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi (8
December 1975), 18: AAS 68 (1976), 17.
124 Cf. ibid., 20: loc. cit., 18.
125 Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution
on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 24.
126 Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus (1 May
1991), 17: AAS 83 (1991), 814; Encyclical Letter Veritatis
Splendor (6 August 1993), 95-101: AAS 85 (1993), 1208-1213.
127 John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus (1 May
1991), 24: AAS 83 (1991), 822.
128 John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris
Consortio (22 November 1981), 37: AAS 74 (1982), 128.
129 Letter establishing the World Day of the Sick (13 May 1992),
No. 2: Insegnamenti XV, 1 (1992), 1410.
130 Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution
on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 35; Paul VI,
Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio (26 March 1967), 15: AAS
59 (1967), 265.
131 Cf. John Paul II, Letter to Families Gratissimam sane (2
February 1994), 13: AAS 86 (1994), 892.
132 John Paul II, Motu Proprio Vitae Mysterium (11 February
1994), 4: AAS 86 (1994), 386-387.
133 Closing Message of the Council (8 December 1965): To Women.
134 John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem (15
August 1988), 18: AAS 80 (1988), 1696.
135 Cf. John Paul II, Letter to Families Gratissimam sane (2
February 1994), 5: AAS 86 (1994), 872.
136 John Paul II, Address to Participants in the Study
Conference on "The Right to Life in Europe" (18 December 1987):
Insegnamenti X, 3 (1987), 1446.
137 Message for the 1977 World Day of Peace: AAS 68 (1976),
711-712.
138 Blessed Guerric of Igny, In Assumptione B. Mariae, Sermo I,
2: PL 185, 188.
139 Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on
the Church Lumen Gentium, 5.
140 Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
Gaudium et Spes, 22.
141 Roman Missal, Sequence for Easter Sunday.
142 Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on
the Church Lumen Gentium, 68.
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