An agile subsidy to promote a “pastoral of life” especially in those contexts where it is more threatened by wars, violence and ethical challenges. The dicastery for lay people, family and life, on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the evangelium vitae, of John Paul II, publishes the document “Life is always a good. Starting processes for a pastoral of human life”. Starting from the principle of “infinite and inalienable dignity of each person”.
“When we talk about man, we never forget all the attacks on the sacredness of human life,” recalls Cardinal Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery, citing Pope Francis. «The plague of abortion is attached to life. It is attacking life to let our brothers die on the boats in the Sicily channel. Death at work is attached to life because the minimal safety conditions are not respected. Death by denutrition is attached to life. Terrorism, war, violence is attached to life; But also euthanasia. To love life is always taking care of the other, wanting his good, cultivating and respecting his transcendent dignity ». For this reason “we must use ourselves for the value of life to be understood and welcomed by the new generations”.
“In a time of very serious violations of the dignity of the human being, in many countries, tormented by wars and by all kinds of violence (especially on women, children before and after birth, adolescents, people with disabilities, the elderly, poor, migrants)”, reads the document, “it is necessary to give shape to a real pastoral of human life, to put into practice what was also reiterated by the recent Dignita declaration of the dicythe Doctrine of faith: “An infinite dignity, inalienably founded in its own being, is up to each human person, beyond all circumstances and in any state or situation is found” (n. 1). The life of every man and every woman must therefore always be respected, kept, defense ».
It is urgent, explains the text, to contrast the violations of life through a concrete commitment, inspired by reason and faith.
Mainly addressed to the bishops, but also to priests, religious and lay people, the subsidy -the result of a dialogue with the bishops during pastoral visits and a webinar of 2024 with the episcopal conferences -a synodal approach, based on community discernment in the spirit, to adapt the pastoral actions to different cultural and geographical contexts.
The text lists “the very serious forms of violation of the dignity and life of the human being, such as abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide, artificial fertilization, surrogate motherhood and every form of violence and abuse, war, children and teenagers-solved, terrorism, digital violence and gender ideology, abandonment of the poor and migrants, rejection of migrants, lack of security in the workplace, waste Elderly “and explains that these are” eloquent sign of a very dangerous crisis of moral sense, which becomes increasingly unable to distinguish between good and evil “.
The practical objectives are to train pastoral workers, educators and families on the value of life. To create pastoral leadership capable of investing in educational resources and communication campaigns, capable of working together for a real pastoral conversion.
“In episcopal conferences and in the dioceses there are offices dedicated to family and life”, recalls the document, “but it is not easy to move on to pastoral action. The multiplication of projects, the improvisation, the dysomogeneity of the objectives, the sectoralization, the randomness of the initiatives can make the pastoral work of training and education to life ineffective “. The full text can be downloaded from the website www.laityfamilylife.va
