Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Barcelona (Agenzia Fides) - More than six thousand people took part in Sunday's pro-life and pro-family gathering in Barcelona organised to defend life and the family by the platform “Pact for Life and Dignity” and at held at the city's Congress Palace (see Fides 23/1/2008). The gathering began with Mass presided by the Archbishop of Barcelona, Cardinal Lluís Martínez Sistach, who said in his homily “members of different associations for life, marriage and the family” have “gathered once again to reaffirm, safeguard and defend with conviction and respect these realities which configure the life of individuals and society”.
Today's world “makes it difficult for us to live in keeping with our Christian conscience. But the Lord wants us to be in the world, not of the world. The Christian style of life is not easy but the Lord helps us”, said the Archbishop of Barcelona, who recalled “Christians offer society the gifts received from the Lord, presenting to everyone with conviction and simplicity the marvellous reality of marriage, intimate communion of life and love between a man and a woman, open to life which generates children and educates them to be good citizens and good Christians”. “We must offer society the precious value of life, from conception to natural death”, and the “value of marriage and the family, institutions created by God and patrimony of humanity”. Cardinal Martínez Sistach added “the family based on marriage is the first place for the humanisation of the person and society and the cradle of human life and love”.
During this 3rd edition of the meeting organised by the platform “Pact for Life and Dignity”, formed of about a hundred pro life groups, participant discussed the phenomenon of illegal abortion in Barcelona and same sex unions. The Day included interventions by Antoni Arasanz president of the association of parents of free schools (Fapel); Josep Maria Alsina rector of Abat Oliba (UAO) University; Daniel Arasa the President of Catalani Family Entitats (GEC), and Dolores Volta president of Pro-vida federation. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 29/1/2008; righe 27, parole 383)
