Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bogota (Agenzia Fides) - "We are the people of life!" is the motto chosen by the Bishops' Conference of Colombia for the celebration of the "Week for Life 2023", which will take place from 19 to 26 March. The initiative aims to promote the culture of life in the country, in a special way, to proclaim the gift of life and defend the life of the unborn child and that of its mother.
"It is an opportunity to renew our being a Church of life and for life" underlined the Department for the Promotion and Defense of Life, which organizes the Week, which is celebrated within the framework of the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord to the Virgin Matria, on March 25th. For practical participation in this week, the Bishops' Conference proposes reflection on the value of life at three levels (individual, family and community) and three ways of assuming it drawn from the Gospel (proclaiming life, celebrating life and serving life). During this week, special messages to promote a culture of life will be disseminated through the communication platforms of the Bishops' Conference: faithful and institutions are invited to revive these appeals in the different social spaces and digital communication platforms.
On this theme, the Bishops' Conference of Colombia hosted a meeting for the development of a dialogue between representatives of different churches, political sectors and universities in the country, whose basic purpose was to contribute from the point of view of ideas, to the construction and presentation of bills on the defense of life, family and religious freedom.
Among the specific objectives of the meeting, held on March 13, was to identify points of common interest in the country's legislative agenda, to base them on technical, scientific and academic research in order to present relevant bills in this area.
Another of the issues addressed was the Pro-Life Referendum: an attempt is made to collect at least two million valid signatures to consult Colombians on amending three articles of the political Constitution to protect unborn children, ensure conscientious objection, and guarantee that there is no "right to abortion" in the country. Process for which the National Electoral Council extended the deadline until April 15. (SL) (Agenzia Fides, 16/3/2023)
