Intercessions for Life
July 2004
Spanish Version
For the United States of America:
that we might protect and defend
the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
of every human being
from conception to natural death;
We pray to the Lord:
That like the Good Samaritan,
we might seek to serve the weakest and most forgotten,
and preserve the life of those threatened by violence or selfishness;
We pray to the Lord:
For those who seek to serve us in government office,
that by their love for every human being,
from conception to natural death,
they might lead us in a love of what is right and true;
We pray to the Lord:
For all expectant mothers,
and especially those who are very young,
that God's grace might foster
the love they bear for the child in their womb;
We pray to the Lord:
On receiving the Nobel Prize for Peace, venerable Mother Teresa of Calcutta, whom you consider the spiritual president of the pro-life movements in the world, had the courage to say to the leaders of political communities: "If we let a mother kill the fruit of her womb, what is left to us? It is the principle of abortion that endangers peace in the world." It is true! There can be no true peace without respect for life, especially if it is innocent and defenseless as is that of the unborn child. Elementary coherence requires those who seek peace to safeguard life. No pro-peace activity can be effective unless attacks on life at all its stages, from conception until natural death, are as energetically opposed. Thus, your movement is not only a Pro-Life Movement but also an authentic peace Movement, precisely because of your constant effort to protect life. — Pope John Paul II to the Italian Pro-Life Movement (May 22, 2003)
The human person is the synthesis of the universe and is the reason for everything that exists. Present-day biomedical sciences and technologies must be at the service of human life and not vice versa.
— Cardinal Lozano Barragan, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers, Feb. 10 2004
As Jesus Christ posed the question to Peter, so, too, does He pose the question to each one of us, 'Do you love Me?' If we respond with yes, then we must live that out no matter what the cost. We cannot separate our professional life from our faith life. We must put the law of God above the law of man, especially as it concerns the dignity of the human person and the life of the unborn.
— Bishop Samuel J. Aquila, Diocese of Fargo, ND, homily, May 2, 2004
There is no right more fundamental than the right to be born and reared with all the dignity the human person deserves. On this grave issue, public officials cannot hold themselves excused from their duties, especially if they claim to be Catholic. Every faithful Catholic must be not only 'personally opposed' to abortion, but also must live that opposition in his or her actions. In Robert Bolt's plan A Man for All Seasons, St. Thomas More remarks, "I believe, when statesmen forsake their own private conscience for the sake of their public duties...they lead their country by a short route to chaos." Sadly, too few follow the example of St. Thomas More. As voters, Catholics are under an obligation to avoid implicating themselves in abortion, which is one of the gravest of injustices. Certainly, there are other injustices, which must be addressed, but the unjust killing of the innocent is foremost among them.
— Archbishop Myers, archbishop of Newark, "A Time for Honesty," May 5, 2004
I feel the duty to reaffirm strongly that the intrinsic value and personal dignity of every human being do not change, no matter what the concrete circumstances of his or her life. A man, even if seriously ill or disabled in exercise of his highest functions, is and always will be a man, and he will never become a "vegetable" or an "animal"...The loving gaze of God the Father continues to fall upon them, acknowledging them as his sons and daughters, especially in need of help.
— John Paul II, address before the International Congress on 'Life-sustaining Treatments and Vegetative State', March 20, 2004
Prepared by the USCCB Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities