AMID the renewed push for the legalization of divorce and abortion in the Philippines, Catholic Church officials called on the Filipino faithful to join the annual "Walk for Life" set on Saturday, February 17, 2024, at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila.
In separate radio interviews on Friday, February 16, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)-Episcopal Commission on Family and Life (ECFL) Chairman Bishop Jesse Mercado and Papal Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Charles Brown both urged the public to join the movement that promotes the value of life.
“We encourage every Filipino family from young to the old, all family and life organizations and movements to join us in this meaningful event. Let us walk hand and hand not just as individuals but as a united force proclaiming the value of life and the importance of family," said Mercado.
“I want to encourage all of you to participate in the Walk for Life. This is an incredibly important event every year to demonstrate our support and our desire to protect life at all stages, from conception until natural death,” said Brown.
The event is set to commence at the Welcome Rotonda, Quezon City at 4 a.m. with some 5,000 lay people and clergymen expected to converge.
The participants are then set to walk toward the UST Grandstand in España, Manila, where there will be a short program capped by the Holy Mass to be presided by Manila Archbishop Cardinal Jose Advincula.
Participants include representatives of national lay organizations as well as diocesan councils of the laity.
First held in 2017, the event has since become a yearly occasion to defend the “culture of life” against the “culture of death.”
The event comes amid recent talks over the proposed decriminalization of abortion in the Philippines.
The measure aiming to legalize divorce in the Philippines also remains pending in Congress. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)