Manila (AsiaNews) – The Liturgical Affairs Ministry of the Manila Archdiocese has prepared a special prayer for "mothers and mothers-to-be" to be read on may 14, Mother's Day, after communion, to "stress the importance, the honour and the respect every Filipino Catholic owes his or her mother".

The prayer was sent to all of the country's dioceses and published on the archdiocese's website.

This decision is especially important for the faithful in a country experiencing a birthrate crisis as a result of existing family planning laws.

Similarly, the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, headed by Archbishop Paciano Aniceto, is organising a conference on 'God is love and love is life' that will be held in Manila's Ultra Stadium on June 10-12.

"The purpose of the event is to promote the sense of Catholic mission among the faithful, which by its very nature is tied to the family and life," he said in the press release announcing the conference.

"This conference will provide Filipinos with the right tools to understand the importance of religious training for the family and encourage them to bear witness to this value, so necessary in our society," he noted.

The statement concluded saying: "We, bishops, priests, religieux and laity, must commit ourselves to giving more and constantly implement the spirit and decrees taken during the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines which reiterated the need to understand and spread the values of the Gospel in our lives".