Filippino Catholics launch new Marian ‘army’ against abortion

Manila, Philippines, Dec 11, 2003 / 22:00 pm

Hundreds of Filippino Catholics gathered at the cathedral in Manila today, on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, to pray for the intercession of Mary in the creation of a law, considered to be anti-family and favorable to abortion, and to launch a new pro-life organization, reported AsiaNews. The law is currently being reviewed by Congress.

Archbishops Gaudencio Rosales of Manila, Paciano Aniceto of Pampanga, Francisco San Diego of Pasig  and Bishop Ramon Arguelles of the military ordinariate concelebrated the mass.

After the mass, the Catholic community launched ARMADA, an acronym for Mary’s Army Against Death and Abortion. ARMADA’s goal is to sesitize the world about the anti-life bills that have been proposed and are currently being reviewed in the Philippines. The group is supported by many pro-life families and movements in the Philippines.

The three anti-life laws that the government is currently revising address population-control for economic development, an anti-discrimination law for homosexuals and a law on reproductive rights.

According to ARMADA, the third law will damage women’s health because it will institutionalize the “sexual rights” of adolescent girls and give them access to abortions, without parental consent.