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The Gospel of Life
"The Gospel of Life" is a reminder that the call to cherish and support life from conception to natural death comes from the Gospel of Jesus Christ itself.
SPIRITUAL ADOPTION PROGRAM
The Spiritual Adoption Program, "Adopt-A-Baby", is supported by the Knights of Columbus. An individual can spiritually adopt a child who is in danger of abortion or even better a church, school or diocese can use the
Spiritual Adoption Program to encourage its parishioners to participate.
THE POPE'S PRO-LIFE MANIFESTO
Of all the Church documents over the centuries, one of the most complete statements on the dignity and value of human life is the 1995 encyclical by Pope John Paul II entitled
The Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae). This
document sets forth clearly the Catholic position on today's life issues, including abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, the relationship between civil and moral law, the responsibilities of politicians and voters, and indeed the whole "civilization of love."
THE U.S. BISHOPS IN DEFENSE OF LIFE
At their 1998 November meeting in Washington, DC, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops for the United States issued a
Statement on Life that calls Catholics to transform their culture according to the Gospel of Life.
HUMANAE VITAE: ON HUMAN LIFE
On 25th of July, 1968 — the Feast of St. James the Apostle — Pope Paul VI issued the prophetic encyclical
Humanae Vitae. This encyclical is a beautiful statement of the procreative and unitive ends of marriage and the
inseparability of life and love. The Pope also correctly foresaw the moral chaos that would ensue as society took on a contraceptive mentality. The antidote to this moral poison is in this compelling document, which proclaims in a new way what the entire Christian world believed until our own time.
ORDER DEFENDS HOLY SEE AT THE UNITED NATIONS
The Knights of Columbus has recently been granted status as a non-governmental organization (NGO) by the United Nations. In its first action as an NGO, the Knights of Columbus opposed attempts by Catholics for a Free Choice and other pro-abortion organizations to have the Holy See's U.N. status downgraded from
permanent observer to NGO.
For a web site which tracks the activities of pro-family NGOs at the United Nations, visit the
Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute.
SUMMARY OF K OF C PRO-LIFE INITIATIVES
In his annual report for 1998, former Supreme Knight Virgil C. Dechant devoted a major section to the Knights' pro-life activities.
Information gathered from this report serves admirably to demonstrate the Knights of
Columbus' wide-ranging commitment to life.
MILESTONES IN THE CRUSADE FOR LIFE
Even before the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision, the Knights of Columbus had positioned itself as a leader in the pro-life movement. In the fall of 1972, the Knights went to work with other pro-life groups to combat abortion. Its opposition to abortion is a pledge the Order has proudly kept for
a quarter of a century of
milestones in the Crusade for Life.
PRAYER FOR THE UNBORN
We should make it a habit to pray daily for the lives of the unborn. Here is a very short and easy to remember prayer by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen:
Jesus, Mary, Joseph,
I love you very much.
I beg you to spare the life
of the unborn child
that I have spiritually adopted,
who is in danger of abortion. Amen.
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