Rorate Caeli

March for Life in Rome: May 10

Corrispondenza Romana
Summary of article by Mauro Faverzani

 All is set to go: a great response from adherents and good media coverage

Everything is set to go. In a few hours time the Fifth National March for Life will begin. Also this year the organizers were able to arrange everything necessary in terms of logistics and services for the tens of thousands expected to arrive in Rome from all over Italy and the world.


Young people, families, children, parishes and associations will convene in Rome this Sunday May 10th, to affirm the right to life “without compromises”, and as Monsignor Alain Castet, Bishop of Lucon, noted “so that this crime is not transformed into a right.”

The following prelates have confirmed their presence at the March: Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Cause of Saints, Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, Cardinal Marc Quellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Metropolitan Archbishop of Naples, Monsignor Stanislaw Gadecki, President of the Polish Bishops Conference, Monsignor Jòzef Michalik, vice-President of the European Bishops’ Conference, Monsignor. Mario Iceta Gavicagogeascoa, President of the Spanish Episcopal Sub-Committee for the Family and the Defense of Life.

Encouraging messages for the March were received from other important prelates such as: Mons. Zygmunt Zimowski, President of the Pontifical Council for Health Workers, Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, Monsignor Luigi Negri, Archbishop of Ferrara-Comacchio, Mosnisgnor Giampolo Crepaldi, Archbishop of Trieste,  Archbishop of Trani-Barletta-Bisceglie, Monsignor Giovan Battista Pichierri. Support has arrived also from Austrian, Danish, French, English, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish prelates.

Also some Dioceses, such as Cremona, Brescia and Alerno, have organized coaches, encouraging people to support the March. Bishops who encouraged the faithful to participate are:  Monsignor Massimo Camisasca, Bishop of Reggio Emilia, Monsignor Tommaso Ghirelli, Bishop of Imola and Monsignor Antonio de Souza Braga, Bishop of Angra.  

Among the 80 ecclesial and other associations involved are: The Institute of the Incarnate Word, with 200 participants, the organizations “Famiglie Numerose”, Catholic Obstetricians and Gynecologists,Jurists for Life, Centers of Help for Life and The Order of Malta.

Delegations from overseas include: The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, (President: Mr. John Smeaton) Voice of the Family (English coordinator: Maria Medise), New Zealand’s Family Life International (led by Colleen Bayer) and many other associations from Ireland, France, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Malta, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania, the United States, Canada and Australia. From Barcelona Spain: an  entire Catholic Middle School; from Romania: a coach with young protestants lead by a Catholic priest and  their own band to accompany this  important demonstration; two coaches of young people are coming from Poland, represented by the dioceses of Stettino and Cracow.

There has been good coverage of the event this year by the mainstream press as well as online agencies, including Avvenire (the Italian Episcopal Conference’s newspaper) which reported significant declarations by the spokeswoman for the March for Life, Virginia Coda Nunziante, regarding the latest political moves from European politicians to promote abortion as a right.

The March for Life will be in St. Peter’s Square at midday for the Angelus and the expected greetings from Pope Francis but the March will officially start at 14.00 with various speakers on the theme of abortion from different perspectives. It will then leave from Via della Conciliazione- the corner of - via Traspontina, and continue through Vittorio Emanuele, Piazza Venezia, Teatro di Marcello and finally reach the “Bocca della Verità” (The Mouth of Truth”) where  the Co-coordinator of the March, Dr. Virginia Nunziante, will give the closing speech.

Our prayers are with all of the precious people involved in this worthy and momentous event which grows in numbers with each passing year.

[A Rorate Translation by Contributor Francesca Romana]