13 May, 2013 - Pope Francis greeted thousands of prolife supporters who had gathered
in Rome on Sunday, praising efforts to secure legal protection for unborn babies in
their earliest stages of life. “I greet the participants of the March for Life which
took place this morning in Rome and invite everyone to stay focused on the important
issue of respect for human life, from the moment of conception,” said the Pope in
St. Peter’s Square. He addressed the pro-life advocates in his comments at the weekly
midday ‘Regina Coeli’ prayer, at the end of the canonization Mass during which he
declared over 800 new saints. The pro-life activists began their anti-abortion march
earlier on Sunday at Rome’s Colosseum and concluded it at Castel Sant’Angelo, close
to St. Peter’s Square. “I am pleased to recall the petition that today takes place
in many Italian parishes, in order to support the initiative European ‘One of Us’
to ensure legal protection to the embryo, protecting every human being from the first
moment of its existence,” the Pope said. He announced that the Vatican will host
events dedicated to Pope John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical “Evangelium Vitae” on June
15 and 16. Pope Francis said this occasion would be “a special moment for those who
have cared about the defense of the sanctity of human life.” Referring to the
beatification of Italian priest Father Luigi Novarese the previous day, May 11 at
the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, the Pope said the founder of the
lay associations, the Apostolate of the Suffering and the Silent Workers of the Cross,
was an “exemplary priest, who was able to renew pastoral care of the sick by making
them active participants in the Church.