Peruvian archbishop says defense of family will be priority at upcoming CELAM meeting

Lima, Peru, Apr 23, 2007 / 08:47 am

The President of the Committee on the Family and the Defense of Life of the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Jose Antonio Eguren, said this week that he hopes the family will be a “priority in our apostolic work of evangelization” at the 5th General Conference of the Latin American Bishops’ Council (CELAM).

In an exclusive interview with CNA, Archbishop Eguren said that while there is still a “strong sense of the family” in Latin America, it is true that the family “is being seriously threatened and we must protect it much more.”  He called on society to strengthen the family and to preserve it as “the cenacle of faith and love and a sanctuary of life.”
 
Healthy families where the fullness of love is lived out bring good to society, the archbishop said, noting as well that “authentically Christian families” are “seedbeds of faith” and guarantors of abundant vocations.

Archbishop Eguren also pointed out that Marian devotion in the family is “a beautiful way” to make Christ “the center of family relationships,” because “the presence of the Virgin Mary always attracts the presence of her Son.”

Prayer and action to defend life

On the other hand, the Peruvian archbishop expressed his concern about pressure from pro-abortion organizations to legalize abortion in Latin America.  He called on Catholics to greater prayer, which he said “should always be the first recourse of a believer,” that the efforts of those who are seeking the legalization of the practice would not prosper.

Archbishop Eguren also called for “decisive action” in combating pro-abortion forces, especially in the print and television media. Such efforts, he said, would help “sensitize public opinion about this issue” and give people the tools they need to defend life.