Pope’s message to Paris March for Life

(January 21, 2011) Pope Benedict XVI has sent his blessings and support to the organizers of the seventh annual March for Life in France, to be held on Sunday in Paris. Writing on behalf of the Pope, Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone has sent a message to the organizers of the march, saying the Holy Father “encourages everyone engaged in the fight for life to contribute with constancy and courage to the establishment of a new culture of life, fruit of the culture of truth and love.” “By loving and honouring the life of every man and every woman, from conception until natural death, they work as well favour a dignified and fraternal existence for everyone,” the message said. On Saturday evening, the eve of the march, a prayer vigil is scheduled at Saint Francis Xavier Church in the French capital. The annual march in protest against abortion is held in late January, close to the anniversary date of the 1975 law that legalized abortion in France. The event has grown in size from year to year since it was created in 2005 by several French pro-life organisations to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of legal abortion. The Paris March for Life has become the largest annual pro-life gathering in Europe, with participants from other European countries, notably Italy, Spain, Belgium, the UK, Poland, Switzerland, Germany and Ireland. 2010 saw a sharp rise in attendance, possibly as high as 25 000 compared to 15,000 in 2009.