LIFE HAS GOT A CHANCE TO LIVE

LIDIA DUDKIEWICZ, THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF 'NIEDZIELA'

A silent cry of every baby beginning its life under a mother’s heart may be heard in Poland soon. In the present years, when we are celebrating the 1050th anniversary of Poland baptism and the 60th anniversary of making Jasna Góra Vows of the Nation, there appears hope in Poland about changing law and complete prohibiting abortion. We have never been so close to the chance of introducing complete protection of the unborn’ life. It seems that our society has become mature to understand things properly, in order to protect life civilization from death civilization. There is also a guarantee that leading Polish politicians will definitely opt for life. We have already received a clear declaration in this issue from the prime minister Beata Szydło and the chairperson Jarosław Kaczyński. In this matter they have explicitly expressed their attitude according to the attitude of Polish bishops, presented on 30 March 2016 in a special Message of the Polish Episcopal Conference Presidium in which we read: ‘Life of every human being is protected with the fifth commandment of the Decalogue: . Therefore the attitude of the Catholics in this respect is clear and unchangeable: it is necessary to protect life of every human being from conception to natural death’. Bishops emphasize that ‘we cannot confine ourselves to the present compromise expressed in the Act of 7 January 1993, which allows for abortion in three cases’.

John Paul II considered as the pope of family, suffered a lot because of death of every unborn baby. We remember when in 1991 in Radom he said that ‘the cemetery of victims of human cruelty in our century, also includes another cemetery of the unborn, the defenceless, whose faces even their own mothers did not see, after agreeing or being subjected to pressure of taking away life from them before they were born’. The Polish Pope did not find any justification for abortion. It was him who called the Jasna Góra Vows of the Nation, written in 1956 by cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, a Polish Charter of Human Rights. Now when we are getting ready for making these Vows again, which is to take place on 3 May this year, we can remind them. 60 years ago we made vows that ‘since now, we all will stand on guard of awakening life. We will fight in defence of every baby and their cradle’. We also made vows that we are rather ready to die than kill the defenceless’, and that ‘the gift of life will be considered by us as the most valuable treasure of the Nation’. It is high time to make conscience examination of these vows. Therefore, for this purpose there are debates at Jasna Góra, focused on the content of the Vows, which are to elaborate the Jasna Gora Report 2016 about the state of our consciences.

What is important is the fact that on 2 April this year participants of the 36th Pilgrimage of Pro-Life Activists accepted the ‘Appeal to Polish parliamentarians for right to live for every conceived baby and maternity protection’. Signatures under this Appeal are being given. During the Jasna Góra Pilgrimage of Pro-Life Activists, also the ‘General Declaration in Defence of Life Civilisation – Mexico 2016’ was presented, on the day before it was announced – on 3 April 2016 – in Mexico, in front of the Częstochowa Icon peregrinating ‘From Ocean to Ocean’. So, one can see strengthening efforts aiming at the victory of life civilization in Poland and in the world. Finally, life of these unborn has got a chance to live. In the year of the 1050th anniversary of Poland Baptism, there is a great chance for a complete protection of the unborn. So, we must have rosaries in our hands.

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„Niedziela” 15/2016

Editor: Tygodnik Katolicki "Niedziela", ul. 3 Maja 12, 42-200 Czestochowa, Polska
Editor-in-chief: Fr Jaroslaw Grabowski • E-mail: redakcja@niedziela.pl