DAET, Camarines Norte, Jan. 31, 2015—A high-ranking member of the clergy has reiterated the Church’s call for more men and women who are ready to go out of their comfort zones in order to take on the fight against the “culture of death” in the country.
Daet Bishop Gilbert A. Garcera (Photo: CBCPNews)
“We need more people to stand for life, and to be champions of the poor, the weak, and the innocent. We are waging a spiritual war, and our laity should stand at the forefront of our temporal realities that help build the spiritual kingdom of God—frontlines like politics, mass and social media, commerce, and public service should be filled with holy and knowledgeable Catholics in order for the Gospel to be spread to everyone and every place and institution,” shares Daet Bishop Gilbert A. Garcera in a statement.
Pro-life Month
According to the prelate, who is concurrently the ad interim chair of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)’s Episcopal Commission on Family and Life (ECFL), the defense of our deeply-held values of life, family, and marriage is a worthwhile reason for Catholics to step up and make their presence felt.
Themed “Combatting Poverty and Saving Lives: Mercy and Compassion in the Year of the Poor,” February, “Pro-life Month”, has been dedicated to the preservation and respect for human life, the sanctity of marriage, and the Filipino family, the bishop notes.
In keeping with this annual observance, Garcera invites the faithful, especially the laity, to take part in the various activities, talks, and seminars Pro-Life Philippines is set to hold, which aim to educate and train them in the pro-life cause.
‘Throwaway culture’
“Every effort must be undertaken in order to keep the ‘throwaway culture’ (Evangelii Gaudium no. 53) away from our nation,” he stresses.
Quoting Pope Francis, Garcera notes that the breakdown of the family unit and how this leads to the devaluation of the human person and the lack of regard people have for the vulnerable, saying, “A population that does not take care of the elderly and of children and the young has no future, because it abuses both its memory and it promise (Pope Francis, 47th Annual Social Service Week, September 2013).
“Let us pass on the light and work towards our dream of having a pro-life nation and help Pro-Life Philippines with their endeavors,” Garcera adds. (Raymond A. Sebastián/CBCP News)