A top Philippine churchman has called on the faithful to recognize life not just a gift, but a responsibility.
Speaking during Sunday Mass at the Manila Cathedral for this year’s Walk for Life, Cardinal Jose Advincula urged the congregation to reflect on the value of life and its moral implications.
“Let us continue marching and proclaiming that life is beautiful, that life is an undeserved gift and that life is also a task and a responsibility to uphold and protect,” Advincula said in his homily.
The cardinal went further by condemning life issues such as abortion, the commodification of sex, and what he called “manipulation of human procreation”.
He also denounced the so-called “mercy killing” of the weak, disabled, and elderly, calling it “morally indefensible, and reiterated that extrajudicial killings are “evil” and violate human dignity.
The Walk for Life, an annual event that promotes the dignity of human life and the sanctity of the family, drew more than 3,500 participants this year.
Participants walked for two kilometers from the Rizal Park to the Manila Cathedral early on Sunday to express their commitment to protect the unborn and uphold human dignity.
Organized by the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas, the pro-life activity was in collaboration with the bishops’ Episcopal Commission on Family and Life (ECFL) and the Manila archdiocese’s Office for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.
Bishop Jesse Mercado of Parañaque, ECFL chairman, emphasized that the call to defend life and family “is not just an individual endeavor, but a collective mission of the Church and society.”
“Our presence here is a clear message to the world that life is sacred, family is a gift, and unity is our strength,” Mercado said.
“Hope that our collective voice will continue to shape a culture that values every human person from conception to natural death,” the bishop added.
“Hope that our advocacy will inspire more hearts to stand for truth, justice and peace, and hope that our journey as pilgrims of hope in this Jubilee Year will lead us ever closer to Christ the Lord of life,” he said.
