WASHINGTON—The
chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities called
on Catholics to participate in “Nine Days of Prayer, Penance and
Pilgrimage,” January 19-27, to mark the 40th anniversary of the U.S.
Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision.
“Our nation greatly needs
our prayers and personal sacrifices,” said Cardinal SeÁn P. O’Malley,
OFM Cap., of Boston. “The evil of abortion inflicts unimaginable pain,
but Jesus offers us healing and renewal.”
The full text of Cardinal O’Malley’s statement follows:
On the 40th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
Cardinal SeÁn P. O’Malley, OFM Cap.
Chairman, Committee on Pro-Life Activities
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
January 16, 2013
January
22, 2013 marks the 40th anniversary of the tragic U.S. Supreme Court
rulings Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton. Without grounding in the
Constitution, law or human rights, these decisions have made it legal
for the past forty years in the United States to end the life of an
unborn child. Since then fifty-five million children never had the
chance to be born. The scope of this loss is staggering, yet the Court
and many in our society relegate it to a matter of personal choice.
As
part of the ongoing response to innocent children’s lives being taken
with the protection of the law, the U.S. Catholic bishops have launched a
major pastoral initiative calling for prayer and penance to promote and
build a culture of life, marriage and religious liberty.
The
initiative includes “Nine Days of Prayer, Penance and Pilgrimage” from
January 19 to 27, 2013. I invite Catholics in the United States to join
me in this novena. It includes daily prayer intentions for the healing
and conversion of our nation, for elected officials who support
abortion, and for all people whose lives have forever been changed by an
abortion. The novena is available through social media, text messaging
and email, to be helpful for youth and other pilgrims traveling to
pro-life events and marches and for those wishing to participate from
their parishes and homes.
Our nation greatly needs our prayers
and personal sacrifices. The evil of abortion inflicts unimaginable
pain, but Jesus offers us healing and renewal. He came not to condemn
us, but to free us from the burden of the wrongs we have done so that
all might be saved. His Divine Mercy knows no limits; we need only to
ask his forgiveness. If you know of anyone suffering from the effects of
an abortion experience, please encourage them to seek help.
It
is our hope and prayer that our defense of human life and religious
freedom, our witness to the dignity of each and every human person, our
compassionate service and our prayers calling on the infinite love and
mercy of God will spark a renewal of love and commitment to the true
good of others. Only a love that seeks to serve those most in need,
whatever the personal cost to ourselves, is strong enough to overcome a
culture of death and build a civilization worthy of human beings created
in God's image.
NOTE: For more information: On the Supreme Court’s abortion decisions: http://endroe.org
To
receive daily prayers and reflections for the novena and learn how to
promote them in your parish or organization: www.usccb.org/9days.
To see the help available after an abortion: http://hopeafterabortion.com.