New Delhi (AsiaNews) – Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday will celebrate a solemn vigil in Saint Peter’s Basilica for nascent life on the occasion of Advent Sunday Vespers. A similar celebration will be held in the Archdiocese of Bombay (Mumbai) as well as in all Indian dioceses, organised by the Diocesan Human Life Committee (DHLC).
“All churches and convents in the Archdiocese of Bombay will be celebrating the Vigil for All Nascent Life,” Mgr Agnelo Gracias told AsiaNews. During the vigil, everyone will read the Word of God and recite the rosary led by witnesses to the greatness of human life: pregnant women, families with children, families with members who are ill as well as grandparents and teachers.
AsiaNews asked him to talk about the need to respect those who are conceived and the many attacks against human life in today’s society.
“In our country, down the ages, life has been regarded as sacred. ‘Ahimsa’ is one of the cherished values of India. Yet, one does notice a gradual erosion of that respect for life that has characterised India. One cannot speak of widespread attacks on human life, though one can observe that human life is becoming daily more and more ‘cheapened’.
The root of this malaise is perhaps a growing negativity towards nascent life. This is evident, for example, in abortion. I do not have any recent figures. I recall a newspaper report I read some years ago about a gynaecologist who spent 25 years of his career performing 30,000 pregnancy terminations. He became a specialist of late term abortions and was a member of the Maharashtra Government’s Medical Pregnancy Termination Committee. He gave the alarming figure of 35,000 abortions in India every 24 hours! It is a shocking statistic. This does not take into account the number of illegal abortions, much less for those who are done away with abortifacients like the morning after pill.
The lack of respect for new life is possibly a consequence of the relentless ‘family planning’ campaign by the government. The attitude of ‘welcoming’ life, of saying ‘yes’ to new life will gradually wane.”
Does the preference for boys result in selective female abortion?
“Yes, the problem of the bias for a male child is prevalent in India. In spite of all the efforts by the government to change people’s mindset, the preference for the male child continues. That accounts for the drop in the overall female/male ratio. Females are rid off either through abortion or female infanticide.
What is the response of the Catholic Church in India to the concerns and challenges of nascent life?
“The Catholic Church in India has always upheld the sacredness of human life from the very first moment of existence. Her position could be summed up succinctly in the words of the 1987 document, Donum Vitae, issued by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. “The gift of life which God the Creator and Father has entrusted to man calls him to appreciate the inestimable value of what he has been given and to take responsibility for it”. The Church in India holds that each human being is a unique creation of God. We are called upon to protect, defend and cherish the life that God has given to us. We should be working for the right of all persons to live with dignity until the moment of natural death. Every human being seeks a peaceful life and a peaceful death.
How urgent is it for the Church in India to announce the culture of life throughout its vast medical ministry?
The Church in India does have a vast network of health institutions and by and large they are faithful to the Church’s teachings on life. Perhaps, the Health Commission of the Bishops’ Conference should have to work out a systematic campaign to announce the culture of life. I think the voice of the Church in India has not been sufficiently heard in the area of life.
