Pope Salutes Pro - Life Group

By REUTERS from the NYTimes on the Web, February 5, 2006

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict welcomed Italy's leading anti-abortion group to his weekly blessing on Sunday, saluting its work in a world where, he said, selfishness and hedonism often undermined the sanctity of life.

Members of Italy's Movement for Life waved balloons and cheered when the Pope welcomed them to St. Peter's Square on what was the Italian Church's annual "Day of Life."  One banner read:  "No abortion-murder, no assisted fertility."

The Pope's support for the group comes as the abortion issue in Italy heats up ahead of an April general election.  Pro-choice and gay rights campaigners have protested against what they see as the Vatican's interference in political affairs.

Health Minister Francesco Storace, of the right-wing National Alliance party, supports the Church's opposition to the abortion pill -- which is still unavailable in Italy -- and has proposed that members of the Movement for Life be allowed access to the country's abortion counseling centers.

"Every human life in itself always deserves to be defended and encouraged," Benedict told the crowd from his Vatican apartment window, reminding the faithful of the Catholic Church's teachings against abortion and euthanasia.

"We well know that this truth risks being contradicted by the widespread hedonism in so-called well-off societies:   life is celebrated as long as its pleasant, but tends to be no longer respected when it's sick or impaired," he said.

The April 9-10 election, in which Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi faces a challenge by the center left led by former European Commission President Romano Prodi, will largely center on economic policies, but emotive issues such as abortion and gay marriage will also have an impact.

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