NEW YORK, NY - Father Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, issued the following statement today, the ninth anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II.
“The world lost a champion for life nine years ago. Pope John Paul II not only worked tirelessly for the protection of the unborn, but his own failing health in his later years was a powerful witness to the world that even the frailest and sickest among us have dignity and purpose.
“I was privileged to serve under Pope John Paul II at the Pontifical Council for the Family, an agency of the Vatican created specifically to sustain and coordinate initiatives for the protection of human life from its conception. His encyclical ‘Evangelium Vitae’ identified abortion and euthanasia as the fundamental and most serious moral problems of our day, and that document has become a cornerstone of my ministry at Priests for Life. He recognized that the right to life is the foundation of every other human right, and he worked to spread that message every day of his life.”
Commenting on Pope John Paul’s upcoming canonization on April 27, Father Pavone said:
“It is noteworthy that Pope John Paul II is being canonized so soon after his death, but this will give the world a Saint of Life when we most need one. The battle for life is as urgent as it ever was, and as Pope John Paul II said, 'Woe to you if you do not succeed in defending life!'” (World Youth Day, Denver, 1993, Assumption Day Homily).
Priests for Life is the nation's largest Catholic pro-life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org.