Manila, The Philippines
Conclusion of the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life's 2009 National Conference with over 250 priests, nuns and lay delegates from more than 68 dioceses.
The conference picked up where it left off the night before and exposed the latest threats to the family presented by graphic and explicit sex education courses funded by groups like UNFPA that the government is seeking to introduce into the Philippines.
Other talks dealt with the Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality based on Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body and reinforced the importance of Church teaching in matters of human sexuality.
Archbishops Paciano Aniceto and Ramon Arguelles, respectively the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of ECFL offered Mass and shared important insights on the family.
The conference concluded with reports from each region in the country, a talk by our good friend prolife Senate candidate Kit Tatad, and at the request of the Archbishop, a follow-up presentation by Bob to all the delegates to convey Fr Pavone's support and share information about his Priest for Life ministries (he spoke privately the evening before with just the 35 priest delegates) and a final Mass at the Pilgrimage Church of Antipolo.
Conference leaders and delegates proved throughout the conference their awareness of the modern threats to the family and life and demonstrated their resolve to resist the culture of death and fight to preserve their culture of life. And that is great news for the world since, against all odds, the Philippines is one of the lone country holdouts against legalized abortion, and particularly good news for America, the country so many filipinos call home.
Fr Pavone and the entire Priests for Life prayer network will keep The Philippines in its prayers as it fights the passage of the anti-life Reproductive Health bill and promises his full cooperation to bring about its defeat.
Bob Lalonde
Special Advisor to the Director
Priests for Life