Church leaders in the Philippines have called on Catholics to stand up and show their commitment to defending life by joining a nationwide Walk for Life being held on Feb. 15.
Archbishop Romulo Valles of Davao, president of the bishops’ conference, expressed hope that Filipinos would show interest and commitment to “respecting life.”
“We hope and pray that many of us will be there to show our interest, our commitment, our heart for advocacy in love and respect for life,” he said.
Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan said “all of us should stand up, pray, and defend life given to us by God.”
“It’s very important that we join in this advocacy,” said Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan. “If we truly believe that life should be defended, walk for life in all its stages.”
Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo, chairman of the Episcopal Commission on the Laity, called on Filipino families to join the activity “at this time when we are faced with different issues such as divorce and the death penalty.”
“Let us show everyone that we are united and that we have force in numbers,” he said.
The event, which is organized each year by the Council of the Laity of the Philippines, aims to demonstrate “solidarity in upholding the dignity of life.”
Last year, thousands of Catholics took to the streets of major cities across the Philippines to voice concerns over threats to life, including drug-related killings, attacks on places of worship and a proposal to revive capital punishment.
This year, similar events will be held simultaneously in the provinces of Pangasinan, Tarlac and Cebu,# and in the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Palo and Manila.