FROM THE POPE

VATICAN, Feb 14, 2001 (LSN.ca) –  Yesterday Pope John Paul II said "The promotion of the culture of the life should be the highest priority in our societies," in a speech welcoming Walter Greinert, the new Ambassador from Austria to the Holy See.  "If the right to life is not defended decisively as a condition for all other rights of the person, further reference to human rights - for instance to health, housing, work, establishment of a family - remain deceitful and illusory."

VATICAN CITY, Jan 31, 2001 (LSN.ca) - Yesterday Pope John Paul II met with  the bishops of Hungary and one key message he imparted to them was the  urgent need to defend life.  "Notwithstanding your tireless dedication,"  the Pope said, "even in your country we note worrisome data which marks in  many countries of the old continent the spread of an ever more preoccupying  culture of death." He noted that the abortion statistics in the country  were "alarming" and said "they must incite you to defend without fear and  with clarity human life in every phase of its existence, from conception to  natural death."

He urged the bishops to "Do everything possible to encourage pregnant women  to complete their pregnancy." Pastors, he added, "must be ready to speak on  every occasion, opportune or not."

For the full report of the meeting see the Vatican Information Service at: http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=11775

VATICAN, Nov 6, 2000 (LSN.ca) - In an address to delegates to the ministerial conference of the Council of Europe Friday, Pope John Paul II reminded the politicians that "the right to life" is the "most basic" right of all.  During his talk he noted the modern problems of separating human rights from the true nature of the human person and the problem of interpreting rights solely from an individualistic perspective, with little consideration of the role of the family as "the fundamental unit of society".

The pope called it a "paradox that, on the one hand, the need to respect human rights is vigorously affirmed while, on the other, the most basic of them all - the right to life - is denied." The pope called it a "radical contradiction" that most European states have done away with the death penalty for criminals while allowing the death penalty for innocent unborn children. It is the pope's "fervent hope" that society will recognize that "enormous injustice is committed when innocent life in the womb of the Mother is not safeguarded."