The Week for Life

“Euthanasia ... What is at stake?” is the theme chosen by the Portuguese Church for the upcoming Week of Life, which will be celebrated from 13 to 20 May.

“We will deal with the problem of euthanasia, which includes ethics, medicine, law, philosophy, and religion, and where personal and family experiences are mixed,” explain the promoters referring to the document published by the Portuguese Bishops’ Conference in 2016, “Euthanasia: What is at Stake? Contributions for a peaceful and humanizing dialogue.”

The Week for Life in Germany on the theme “The desire to have a child. A desired child. Our child” was concluded a few days ago. This event in Germany is an ecumenical initiative launched in 1991, and it is now in the second year of a three-year cycle devoted to the theme of childbearing: in 2017 the event was dedicated to medicine and reproduction techniques, this year the focus is on prenatal diagnosis. The underlying goal, states the introductory document of this year’s initiative, was “to encourage parents to accept their child unreservedly.”

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, president of the German Bishops’ Conference, speaking of all the testimonies of parents who unconditionally say “yes” to the life of their child, expressed gratitude and noted that this requires the commitment to face the future with courage and trust: “You and your children are irreplaceable and important for our society. The Church is with you in your ‘Yes’ to life.”