Thousands expected at March for Life in Rome

Rome, Italy, May 9, 2013 / 15:03 pm

More than 15,000 people are expected to gather outside the historic Roman Coliseum on May 12 to take part in the third March for Life.

Included among expected participants are leading representatives of pro-life originations from around the world, as well as members of the clergy and European royalty.

Lila Rose, the president of undercover investigative group Live Action, and Nicholas Windsor, the son of the Duchess of Kent and grandson of Queen Elizabeth of England, are only a few of the leading figures who are expected to join in the March.

The march will be preceded by a conference on bioethics at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum and a prayer vigil on May 11, led by the prefect of the Apostolic Signature, Cardinal Raymond Burke.

The spokesman for the March, Virginia Coda Nunciante, told CNA, that "the main purpose of the march is to stop and to say 'no' to the 1978 law that legalized abortion in Italy, causing the deaths of more than five million children."

"There are many dioceses and parishes that are committed to coming, in addition to the 120 movements and associations that have joined in this initiative," she continued.

" Let us take to the streets to reiterate a great yes to life, the first of all rights, because without life no other right can exist, and that is why we have so many families with children with us."

"The defense of life is not only the responsibility of Catholics, but all those who acknowledge the existence of a natural law, written on the heart of each man which prohibits the killing of the innocent," Coda said. "Abortion not only violates Catholic morality, but also natural law, which is valid for every man in every age and in all places."

"We are also marching against euthanasia, which many want to introduce into our legislation, and to oppose the manipulation of embryos, for example, through a law on assisted fertilization," she added.

According to data from the Ministry of Health, she observed "the number of abortions has fallen, but we also know that there has been an increase in sales of the abortion pill RU486."

Coda invited all those who will be in Rome on May 12 to take part in the demonstration. 

"We need to bring about real change to our own culture, so that it will be easier to understand the seriousness of each attack against life," she said.