Life Issues
All life is sacred, a gift from God. To end life prematurely is to deny that God has a plan for every human, created as we are in the image of his son Jesus Christ.
This is why the Church opposes abortion (ending life in the womb) and Euthanasia (ending life before natural death). Instead the Church believes all life should be cherished at all times, whatever a persons’ wealth, or state of health. The Church endorses practical initiatives to help those in need including better palliative care for the terminally ill, and financial aid for hard-up mothers’-to-be. In England and Wales, the Church celebrates this core belief of the dignity of all human life on the annual Day for Life, an initiative for the worldwide Catholic community, established by John Paul II.
For more details visit the Day for Life website
This year's Day for Life
Lord, for your faithful people, life is changed, not ended
Day for Life, initiated by the late Pope John Paul II, is the day of the year the Catholic Church in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales dedicates to celebrating the dignity of human life from conception to natural death.
Day for Life 2010 aims to present the Church’s teaching on death; it will highlight the importance of the sacrament of the sick, of praying for the dead and of accompanying the dying person as they journey towards God. It will also point towards the consoling presence and support of the community of faith and all of those who ‘have gone before us marked with the sign of faith’.
Each year, in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the Bishops' Conferences work closely together to celebrate Day for Life.
In Scotland the Day is celebrated on 31 May - The Feast of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary and in Ireland it falls on 3 October.
Day for Life, in England and Wales, will be celebrated this year on 25 July 2010.
Collection proceeds - England and Wales
In England and Wales, collections will be held in parishes on the Day for Life 2010. The proceeds of these collections will be used to provide core funding for the Anscombe Bioethics Centre (formerly the Linacre Centre for Healthcare Ethics) and to cover the costs of the materials for this year’s Day for Life. In addition, grants will be made to support Catholic charities working in fields connected with this year's theme.