ASIA/PAKISTAN - It is right and dutiful to protect life and the family: Bishops of Pakistan offer full support to Church in Spain for pro-family demonstration on 18 June

Lahore (Fides Service) - “The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Pakistan gaurantees clear and total support to the rightful moral position in favour of the family and life taken by the Catholic Bishops of Spain and hopes that the June 18 demonstration will be successful. We are in full spiritual communion with the Church in Spain in this most important campaign to protect the fundamental values of life and the family” Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha of Lahore President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Pakistan told Fides.
In Pakistan a Muslim country the local Catholic Church is recognised for its commitment to protect life and the family. Last year all the local Catholic Churches in Asia chose the family as the main theme of reflection. And this reflection was encouraged and fostered by the annual general assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences 2004 which focused on “The Asian Family towards a Culture of Life”. The Bishops of Pakistan for their part, have confirmed their commitment to promote the Christian understanding of the family recalling that “marriage is communion of love and life”.
The Church in Pakistan notes that in recent times behaviour which is harmful for the family such as abortion, separation and divorce is becoming ever more widely practised and that it intends to defend the values of life and the family which are fundamental for the good and the future of humanity.
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 15/06/2005 Righe: 21 Parole: 212)