Vatican City, May 12, 2008 / 09:05 am
Thousands of members of the Italian Movement for Life met with Pope Benedict in the Hall of Blessing on Monday morning. The Pope remarked that 30 years of abortion in Italy "not only has not resolved the problems afflicting many women and no small number of families, but it has opened another wound in our societies.”
The Movement for Life, which is led by Carlo Casini, is currently promoting a number of initiatives on the 30th anniversary of the legalization of abortion in Italy.
Benedict XVI noted that protecting human dignity is exceedingly more challenging than 30 years ago. “We cannot but recognize that, in practical terms, defending human life has become more difficult today, because a mentality has been created that progressively devalues human life and entrusts it to the judgment of individuals.”
The consequence of this thinking is a decrease in respect for the human person, “a value that lies at the foundation of any form of civil coexistence, over and above the faith a person may profess," the Pontiff said.