Nearly 40,000 in Peru march for life

Piura, Peru, Mar 22, 2011 / 12:04 pm

Some 40,000 Peruvians took part in a march commemorating the Day of the Unborn Child on March 19 in the northwestern province of Piura.

During a Mass at the event, Archbishop Jose Antonio Eguren of Piura urged Catholics to “be committed to building a culture of life, which must begin with heeding the voice of every unborn child” in Peru.

“We are all responsible for what science has amazingly revealed to us to be a child from the first moment of his existence at conception,” the archbishop said. “The mother who bears him in her womb is responsible first and foremost. Then, those who are around her, the baby’s father and her family. And last but not least, civil authorities and society in general,” he said.

Authentic development demands that the “inalienable rights of the human person – especially the right to life from conception to natural death – be defended,” the archbishop continued.

Consequently, he added, the legalization of abortion in Peru “would always be an injustice and never a right. The right to kill does not exist. Only the right to life does. Abortion solves nothing. Let us pray to the Lord of Life that abortion is never allowed in Peru.”

Archbishop Eguren also expressed regret that the campaign season underway in the country has been characterized by “insults and attacks from one side to the other.

“Candidates are using language and expressions filled with double meanings to attack each other like never before.”

“Voters deserve more respect from those who seek to govern us, whether from the presidential palace or the congress,” the archbishop said. Voters also deserve to know the political agendas of each of the candidates, he continued. “An important part of this is that they clearly tell us what they think about the issues of abortion, the family and drugs,” he stated.

At the conclusion of his homily the archbishop prayed for the Japanese people impacted by the recent earthquake and tsunami. “May our prayer be a sign of our solidarity with our noble sister nation of Japan with whom we have historical and cultural ties. May the Lord help them to overcome the dramatic situation they are facing.”