Priest in Mexico escapes unharmed after gunmen shoot at him due to his human rights work

Young pro-life people paint a mural with messages opposing surrogate motherhood in Mexico. / Courtesy: Steps for Life

ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 14, 2023 / 15:00 pm (CNA).
The Steps for Life platform in Mexico called for legislation against surrogat… […]

Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jun 12, 2018 / 03:11 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- As legislators in Argentina prepare to vote tomorrow on a bill that would legalize first-trimester abortions, pro-life groups have been working adamantly to oppose the legislation.  

Argentina’s House of Representatives will vote June 13 on a bill to allow legal abortion up to 14 weeks of pregnancy. The vote is expected to be close.

If the bill passes in the House, it will be sent to the Senate, and then to President Mauricio Macri, who has encouraged “responsible” debate over the topic and said that he personally opposes the legislation but will not veto it if Congress approves it.

The current law in Argentina prohibits abortion, except when the mother’s life or health is determined to be in danger, or in cases of rape.

On June 5, some 417,000 signatures were presented to Congress in support of the right to life of the unborn. More signatures are being collected, to be delivered on June 12 by children and young people with disabilities. Pro-life groups have emphasized that babies with disabilities will be at risk for abortion if the legislation passes.

Tens of thousands of people turned out June 10 for pro-life marches in the country’s main cities. A previous march held May 20 drew an estimated 3,600,000 participants in 270 cities.

Unidad Provida, (Pro-Life Unity), an Argentine NGO that serves as an umbrella group for some 100 pro-life organizations, has launched a Twitter campaign for the day of the vote with two hashtags, #Salvemoslas2Vidas (Save Both Lives) and #NoAlAbortoEnArgentina (No to Abortion in Argentina).

“We need the support of our Latin American brothers and sisters in this crucial time for our country…We don’t want this throwaway politics. We believe abortion is never the solution and we are standing up for ‘Let’s Save Both Lives,’” Pro-Life Unity said in a press release.

Other pro-life efforts include the Jericho for Life prayer campaign, which will surround the capitol starting at 5:00 p.m. local time June 12, pray the rosary and conclude with a consecration of Argentina to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, led by clergy.

That effort will be followed by a prayer vigil entitled “40 Days for Life Argentina Prays for Both Lives.” The vigil will run from 6:00 p.m. June 12 to 8:00 a.m. June 13, in front of the nation’s capitol building.

Opposition came in even from Iraq, where Argentine missionary Fr. Luis Montes posted an open letter to members of Congress on Facebook, in which he compared abortion to ISIS atrocities, saying that in both cases, victims are “dehumanized.”

Previous efforts to oppose the abortion bill included a day of prayer and fasting called by the Argentine Conference of Bishops on June 7. The bishops also called for a prayer campaign from May 13 to June 3 which was supported by the Argentine Conference of Men and Women Religious.

A column published May 30 in La Nación daily and signed by more than 1,000 doctors argued against the legalization of abortion.

“Far from resolving problems,” the doctors wrote, “abortion is a failure for medicine.”

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A portion of the Darien Gap in Panama’s Darien province. Credit: UrbanUnique/Shutterstock.

Apartado, Colombia, Aug 16, 2021 / 06:01 am (CNA).

Three Latin American ecclesial organizations on Wednesday asked for help for the thousands of migrants on their way to the US who are stranded in the Darien Gap, a jungle region at the Panama-Colombia border.

The migrants are exposed to criminal gangs and the risks typical of the jungle environment.

The Colombian Bishops’ Conference; the Latin American and Caribbean Ecclesial Network on Migration, Displacement, Refuge and Human Trafficking; and the Bishops’ Secretariat of Central America published a joint statement Aug. 11 proposing actions to be taken to address the humanitarian crisis in the border region.

According to data from the Panamanian authorities, more than 10,000 migrants are in transit in the Colombian-Panamanian border area through the Darien jungle. So far this year more than 40,000 migrants have crossed the border.

In addition, thousands of migrants have arrived at the Colombian port of Necoclí waiting for boats to take them to the border with Panama in order to cross the Darien jungle. The migrants are mainly from Haiti and Cuba, but also from Venezuela, Senegal, India, Pakistan, Congo, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Eritrea.

In July more than 212,000 migrants were detained at the US-Mexico border, the highest monthly figure since April 2000.

In their statement, the bishops representing the organizations warned of “the difficult humanitarian situation in the Gulf of Urabá Antioqueño, Colombia, and the Darien border region between Panama and Colombia, as a result of the arrival of a significant number of people from several countries, who intend to cross the Darien Gap.”

“The lack of knowledge about the harsh reality of the jungle, its natural environment and the presence of armed gangs controlling the area, we are being warned of a scenario of imminently increasing risks to their protection and the potential violation of the rights of this migrant population in transit through Colombia, Panama and Central America,” the prelates said.

They pointed out that in this border area the migrants “are exposed to countless risks, a situation that poses significant challenges in terms of emergency medical care and safe migratory transit.”

They also recalled the call of Pope Francis to governments “to be prudent and welcome all refugees and migrants,” and asked that “under a merciful gaze” migrants, refugees, displaced persons, and victims of trafficking “be received with a welcoming attitude” since “in addition to enduring the difficulties due to their very condition, they are frequently subjected to negative judgements, since they are considered responsible for social ills.”

“Their reality constitutes an alarm signal, which warns us of the moral decadence we face if we continue to give space to the throwaway culture,” they said.

The bishops also requested that “joint work be carried out between governments, governmental organizations and civil society, institutions and the host communities themselves, to humanize the care and treatment of migrants and guarantee minimum assistance in food, healthcare and coexistence.”

They also called “communities to be in solidarity with the migrants who are in transit” on the Colombian-Panamanian border, and requested “the ongoing and coordinated presence of the authorities in the municipalities and communities affected by the migratory flow, the adoption of national and regional measures for the implementation of humanitarian corridors that guarantee legal entry and safe, orderly and regular transit through the territories.”

They also asked that the basic rights of these people “in our territories” be guaranteed.

They also requested “the issuance of humanitarian visas to people in particularly vulnerable situations, as well as the evaluation of cases where the international protection of refugees applies.”

The archbishops said that it is necessary to establish temporary reception centers for migrants and refugees that meet “the minimum conditions to guarantee fundamental rights and thus avoid violations such as human trafficking.”

“Finally, we call for working together for the migrants who are crying out for support to continue their transit, starting with understanding their situation and recognizing them as human beings in an emergency that drives them to be on the move in a situation full of risks, necessities and constant challenges.”

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