Respect Life Month celebrated in October

Catholics should “renew their personal commitment to defend all human life, especially the most vulnerable members of the human family,” said Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston in a statement marking Respect Life Month in October.

Cardinal DiNardo, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), addressed various threats to human life and the need to apply principles of faith and morals in the public square.

“By our unflinching defense of human life and religious freedom, by our witness to the transcendent nature of the human person, and by our compassionate service to our brothers and sisters in need, may we spark a renewal of love and commitment to the true good of others,” Cardinal DiNardo said. “Only a love that seeks to serve those most in need, whatever the personal cost to us, is strong enough to overcome a culture of death and build a civilization worthy of human beings made in God’s image.”

The Respect Life Program’s theme for 2012-13 is: “Faith opens our eyes to human life in all its grandeur and beauty.” As Pope Benedict XVI said during his recent apostolic visit to Lebanon, “The grandeur and the raison d’être of each person are found in God alone.”

Cardinal DiNardo highlighted the importance of the 2012-13 Respect Life Program during the Year of Faith called for by Pope Benedict and quoted the pope in Lebanon: “If we want peace, let us defend life! This approach leads us to reject not only war and terrorism, but every assault on innocent human life, on men and women as creatures willed by God. … We must combine our efforts, then, to develop a sound vision of…the human person. Without this, it is impossible to build true peace.”

Begun in 1972, the Respect Life Program stresses the value and dignity of human life. It is observed in the 195 Catholic dioceses in the United States. The full statement and Respect Life Program resources may be found online in English and Spanish at www.usccb.org/respectlife.

Information on respect life programs in the Diocese of Sacramento at http://www.diocese-sacramento.org.