Culture of death always leads to failure, Argentinean cardinal states

Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sep 1, 2009 / 18:55 pm

The Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, told the thousands of faithful gathered Monday at the Shrine of St. Ramon to defend life from the moment of conception to natural death, in order to overcome the “culture of death” that is afflicting today’s society.
 
During his homily, the cardinal urged Catholics to “stand up” against “the culture of death.”  The “culture of life,” he said, believes that “life has value from the moment of conception” and should be cared for in childhood, so that that new life “grows up healthy, receives a good education and has enough to eat, and is instilled with principles of moral values.”
 
“We must stand up and say: this is the culture of life, this is life, the complete opposite of the culture of death,” which “always leads to failure,” the cardinal said.
 
The culture of life means that children must be cared for “throughout their entire existence,” including “in their suffering, their illnesses, with clean hospitals that are properly equipped, where those who are sick are treated well. This is life, this is the message of life,” he stated. 

This also must be done with the elderly because grandparents are “the wisdom of life,” the cardinal taught, adding that he was saddened that the elderly are often “pushed aside” because of the demands of one’s work or because they live too far away to be visited often.
 
After blessing those present as “messengers of life,” Cardinal Bergoglio encouraged them to spread respect for life to all Argentineans.  “This is the message we need, God’s message, go in the footsteps of Jesus, you will not go wrong. They are the footsteps of life, because He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.”
 
Thousands of Argentineans gathered this week at the Shrine of St. Ramon the Unborn, to whom pregnant mothers pray in thanksgiving for the gift of life and those unable to conceive pray for the gift of motherhood.