Bombay archbishop praises expectant parents for respecting life

Archbishop John Rodrigues of Bombay has praised parents expecting newborns for respecting life at its weakest, and for doing so in the manner taught by the Church.

Saying Mass for expectant parents on the Solemnity of the Annunciation at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount in Bandra, a suburb of Mumbai, India’s most-populous city, the archbishop said there are both positive and negative trends occurring in society in regard to having children, while pointing out how a number of countries are now experiencing a declining birth rate.

“There are so many pressures on young couples today, and yet people are called to be open to life and you who have gathered here today for this celebration, in a special way, have expressed your desire to be open life,” he said.

“Your willingness to respond to God’s invitation to you and to society and [to] the Church’s core [message] to support those who are in this particular phase of life. We have to avoid narrow individualism and [instead be] in solidity with our brothers and sisters to affirm the gift of life,” the archbishop said.

“My dear couples who are expecting a child, openness to life means saying yes to God’s plan, just as Mary did, and you have said that yes together as a couple.”

“We see many people rallying together for different issues,” the archbishop said. “We see this also in people coming together and networking. We must affirm this positive trend in society. The interconnectedness of all life.”

He then added: “The second trend that we notice in society, that is negative, is that of valuing life only in terms of its utility: if this life is useful and can do something for society, then we value it – that is not what the Church holds.

“The Church stands up and protects life at every moment, and particularly when life is at its weakest: the life of [the] terminally ill. Standing, therefore, for the rights of the person that God alone is the one who decides [on] the life of a person, and upholding also the likes of the unborn child in the womb.

“From womb to tomb, we are called to defend and protect life to care for life, to affirm life, and support it in all moments.”

He noted how the Church is currently in a Jubilee year, and that Pope Francis is reminding people that Jesus is their hope.

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Photo: Pope Francis blesses a pregnant woman during the weekly general audience at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican, Vatican City State, 25 September 2024. (Photo by TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images.)

The post Bombay archbishop praises expectant parents for respecting life first appeared on Catholic Herald.

The post Bombay archbishop praises expectant parents for respecting life appeared first on Catholic Herald.