Filipino Bishops launch “Rosary Crusade” against abortion law

(November 17,2010) Bishops in the Philippines have launched a Rosary Crusade against abortion law in the country. The Catholic Church and the Filipino government are at loggerheads over a birth control bill currently before Congress. Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, Archbishop of Cebu, and other prelates, have posted a message on YouTube, urging Catholics around the world to recite a rosary for life and the family. Their goal is to have a million prayers, sent by e-mail or regular post, to force the Filipino Congress to abandon the draft bill. Dubbed ‘Rosary Christ Crusade’, the initiative was launched on 31 October at the parish level and is set to last until 16 January 2011.
Cardinal Vidal said on YouTube that with “this movement we offer authentic offerings to God and to the Blessed Mother for the sake of our country”. Other prelates have followed Cardinal Vidal and released their own message. They include Archbishop Paciano Basilio Aniceto of San Fernando, head of the Episcopal Commission for life and the family, who described the bill as a great danger because it spreads a culture of death.
The debate over the Reproductive Health bill has lasted for four years. The law bans abortion, but promotes family planning. It encourages couples to have only two children and favours voluntary sterilisation. Medical professionals, who do not uphold the law could be fined or jailed.