The culture of life: an affirmative endeavor

Gonzalo Herranz, department de Humanities Biomedical, University of Navarra
discussion paper at the VII Assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life:
The Culture of Life: Foundations and Dimensions.
Vatican City, March 3, 2001.

Index

Introduction

Commitment to truth

The celebration of the Gospel of life

On the celebration of the Gospel of life in the biomedical teaching

Celebration and activism in favor of life

Introduction

When we analyze what the Encyclical Evangelium vitae says about the culture of life, we see that the Holy Father is referring to a double reality.

On the one hand, the culture of life is shown to us by the Pope as something that has its raison d'être in its confrontation with the culture of death. John Paul II wants to make us aware of this dimension, necessary and relational, hostile and reactive: the culture of life exists to oppose the culture of death. The Pope does not hide from us that we are involved in an "enormous and dramatic clash between good and evil, death and life, the 'culture of death' and the 'culture of life'."¹. When referring to this conflict, the Pope characteristically writes the expressions "culture of death" and "culture of life" in quotation marks.².

On the other hand, the culture of life appears in the Encyclical as an affirmative and dynamic reality, self-sufficient and true, that exists and stands on its own feet, that does not need to be understood as a reaction. The Pope often refers to it as the new culture of life, pointing out that it is something creative and original, part of a civilization of love and truth.³.

It is logical that to the first dimension, warlike and antagonistic, the "culture of life" has been dedicated in the whole world an intense and priority effort, as rich in fruits as poor in means. There is an immense literature of the "culture of life" against the "culture of death", scattered in pamphlets, bulletins, magazines and books published on paper, and a massive amount of information deposited on the network⁴. Much of this literature, despite its polemical character, abounds in good doctrine and understanding for the mistaken, responds to shadows with light, to harshness with tenderness, to pessimism with openness to hope.

But not always, from the side of the culture of life, do actions and thoughts have this affirmative bias. The battle in favor of life is very hard and relentless; it is waged against an enemy with enormous means and resources: it is, as the Pope says, a war of the strong against the weak.⁵.

Given such a disproportion of forces between one side and the other, it is not surprising that, over time, a peculiar ethos has developed among many fighters for life. In the actions and writings of many of them there are accents of hardness and resentment, of harshness and bitterness, the result of fatigue, of inevitable wounds, of apparent defeats, typical of any prolonged war. The thought of being in favor of life loses intensity and the polarized mentality that the decisive thing is to annihilate the enemy develops. This generates an ideology that is more negating than affirmative, and Schools is lost for friendship. Sometimes, those who fight for life can acquire an unattractive personality.

Paradoxically, then, what began as a pro-life movement has been insensibly transformed into a generator of "anti" actions: against abortion or euthanasia, but also against individuals and, especially, against the powerful organizations that promote the "culture of death". In the heat of combat, it is not easy to refuse the temptation to use the same violent and harmful weapons used by the enemy. One can even forget that the culture of life is intrinsically a work of charity, a luminous and friendly message that strives to understand everyone to the point of heroism, because it wants to attract everyone, while at the same time being intransigent towards error, which it wishes to refute with rationality and patience.

It is fitting, then, to remind all those who fight for life that the culture of life is there, not to weaken or annihilate those who cultivate death, but to save them, to offer them new signs of hope. The culture of life works to increase justice and solidarity; it seeks to build an authentic civilization in truth and love.⁶. The culture of life is an essentially affirmative endeavor.

It is easily understandable that, given the violence of this war and the proximity of the battle front, less attention has been devoted to unraveling the positive contents of the new culture of life than to the apparently more urgent task of combating the errors and strategies of the "culture of death. And yet, in my opinion, nothing is more essential than to study, as we are doing in this VII Assembly of the Academy, the questions and problems that could be called the affirmative aspects of the culture of life.

The idea is to look for interesting things such as the following:

- the psychological tone, constructive and attractive, that the culture of life has to put in its ideas and actions;

- ways of defining and presenting the culture of life as an ever-fresh novelty;

- define and characterize its intellectual and human style, unitary in its core, but adapted to the multiple variety of mentalities, situations and places, which must be not only respected but encouraged;

- how to ensure that the messages of the culture of life are always imbued with solid science and also with understanding and joy, with theological hope.

- how to explore new ways of expressing human and Christian enthusiasm for human life, without falling into rosy lyricism or Manichean narratives;

- It is necessary to determine the extent of good zeal in the defense of life in order not to fall into ingratitude or harassment;

- how, respecting free initiative and infinite variety, times can be set to pursue certain common objectives, to create a minimum of coordination in the midst of the necessary polyphony of the culture of life;

- to see ways to create Internal Communications, to hear from one another about the thousand ways to spread the gospel of life;

- In particular, a firm and loyal commitment to the truth of the biological and human sciences, which it is never legitimate to deny or exaggerate, torture or manipulate, must be knotted;

- In each case, it is necessary to try to harmoniously mix the strong rationality of objective moral judgments with the internship of compassion;

- We must learn to combine the affirmation of moral truth with acceptance of those who are mistaken.

- Finally, it is necessary to develop with intelligent audacity the threefold task that the Pope gives us in the Encyclical to proclaim, celebrate and serve the Gospel of life.

Of all this vast and stimulating thematic program, I will limit myself to offering some brief suggestions on two points: one refers to the unbribable commitment to the truth that all actions that fall within the culture of life must have; the other consists in offering some considerations on the least attended, and perhaps the most difficult, of the projects of the new culture of human life that the Pope points out to us: that of celebrating the Gospel of life.

Obviously, my conclusions are not final. The topic needs much reflection. I offer it today to discussion so that the discussion paper to be presented to the VII Assembly may be enriched with your observations, criticisms and suggestions.

Let us now turn to the first point:

Commitment to truth

A systematic search in the text of Evangelium vitae for the word "truth" and related terms sample tells us clearly that the Holy Father places truth as an essential element of the theory and internship of the culture of life. He speaks to us of the capital value of truth in the diffusion of the Gospel of life, because only in a profound commitment to truth can man discover and spread respect for the humanity of every human being. The Pope tells us, among other things, that a sincere openness to the truth is a condition for the sacred value of human life to be revealed to mankind.⁷that every authentic social relationship must be based on truth.⁸that it is now more necessary than ever to look the truth in the face and to call things by their name, without yielding to the temptation to self-deception.⁹that in history crimes have been committed in the name of truth¹⁰10 ; that the new culture of life is the fruit of the culture of truth and of love¹¹11 ; that the work of the builders of the culture of life must express the full truth about man and about life¹²12 ; that in the means of social communication scrupulous fidelity to the truth must be exercised¹³.

And, by contrast, the messages of some of those who militate in the field of the culture of life seem to be contaminated by different forms of untruth: not in the sense that their authors deliberately use lies or deceit, but in the sense that they have succumbed to the temptation of strategic efficiency. And, then, they exaggerate the truth and deform it, with the pretense of making it harder and more convincing. Or they torture it to make it reveal aspects that are not contained in it; or they reveal it in part and, at the same time, hide it in part, to avoid the inevitable complexity that reality often presents.

At other times, because of the urgency of status or because of a lack of veneration for the truth, immature writings are spread, the fruit of improvisation, created in irritation or anger, which harm the cause of the culture of life and provoke the rejoicing of those who fight against it. They can then not only fail in truth and charity, but also in prudence for not having order committee to those who could give it. Never, in the construction of the culture of life, should one skip the step of apply for a constructive criticism of those who can see the problem with more serenity and greater science.

The written publications or verbal manifestations of the followers of the culture of life should adhere, as far as they are applicable, to the quality standards that apply in the world of scientific and cultural communication. These standards, which initially referred almost exclusively to questions of style and label, have been incorporating, over the years and with growing intensity, certain ethical requirements ¹⁴. Some of these requirements are important in our context, as they translate an ethical attitude of intellectual honesty and informative integrity, requirements which immunize against the ever-present risk of using ethics in a way that is contrary to it. Never, in the construction of the culture of life, can the ethical cynicism that the good end justifies the means be in force. In the war for the culture of life, the perverse principle of "anything goes" is not valid.

The common ethics of publishing¹⁵ imposes certain duties on us, among which the following may be noted:

- that of acquiring and practicing an upright attitude towards intellectual authorship, which obliges us not to appropriate the merits of others, through plagiarism or imitation, but to grant, out of justice, the credit of originality to the creators of new ideas;

- to check the veracity and accuracy of the data we use in our arguments, thanks to a diligent assessment and a critical selection of reliable sources of information, and to explicitly indicate such sources;

- to reject any temptation to fabricate data, falsify testimony, or omit significant information;

- that of expressing the conclusions of our speeches with rationality, moderation and prudence, so as not to consider as real what is only desirable, not to point out as certain what is doubtful, not to consider as proven what is merely hypothetical;

- to take personal moral responsibility for what we communicate and disseminate in the context of the culture of life, in which there is no room for anonymous libel;

- to ask committee to those who can give it with skill and generosity. In the same way that peer review has meant a leap in quality for academic publication, asking for committee before publishing is, in the context of the culture of life, the best guarantee against haste and subjectivism. Asking for and giving committee is a great human and Christian treasure, which saves from the danger, sometimes too close at hand, of being carried away by violent or obsessive ideas, especially when they are erroneous or inopportune.

Some of these ethical errors in the field of the promoters of the culture of life have been recently denounced, with much firmness and examples taken from real life, by Roberge¹⁶. His article is worth reading, for it not only criticizes the scientific and ethical deficiencies that are occasionally found in the pro-life bibliography , but also points out some defects that contribute to keep in a rudimentary state the obtaining of scientific data and expert assessment that are so necessary today for a vigorous action in favor of the culture of life.¹⁷

This is a culture of truth and love. That is to say, only in intellectual honesty, in the search for truth, in the effort to love and forgive, will the pro-life movements find their intellectual and ethical place. I believe that this is especially incumbent upon the members of the Pontifical Academy for Life. I think we have a particular obligation to help build a culture of life that is solidly grounded in the loving and intelligent, critical and joyful assessment of the truth of human life.

Let's move on to the second point

The celebration of the Gospel of life

The celebration of the Gospel of life is a considerable and important topic , in need of study and development, because it is decisive for finding the tone that the other two directions, advertisement and service, of the evangelizing action of life to which the Pope invites us must take. I believe, moreover, that in the profound understanding of what the Pope tells us in points 83 to 86 of Evangelium vitae we find the remedy for many of the ailments that can affect those who struggle for life and that I have described above.

Without joy, without the joy of the Holy Spirit in the soul, it is not possible to build the new culture of life, nor can the humble and grateful awareness of being a people for life take root in us. For promote the necessary and profound cultural change to which the Pope urges us, we must present ourselves before people with gestures of quiet and humble joy, in a spirit of celebration.

What does the Pope tell us in the Encyclical on the celebration of the Gospel of life?

The Pope recommends - and this is his constant example - that whenever possible we begin our reflections and ethical teachings with some reference letter to Scripture, that we try to give them a biblical foundation.¹⁸. Faithful to his own recommendation, the Pope gives a scriptural foundation to the entire encyclical. And for this he chooses an atmosphere of celebration. The Letter begins by reminding us that, at the dawn of salvation, the birth of a child is proclaimed as joyful news: " advertisement brings you great joy, which will be for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Lk 2:10-11). In this way the Pope shows us that joy, and specifically messianic joy, is the foundation and the height of joy for every child who is born. Joy is at the heart of the new culture of life.¹⁹. The Pope goes on to present the exultant scene of Mary's Visitation to Elizabeth as an outburst of joy for life, celebrating both the fruitfulness and eager expectation of a new life and the value of the human person from conception onward.²⁰.

At the beginning of Chapter IV of the Letter, the Pope tells us that the three dimensions of proclaiming, celebrating and serving the Gospel of life are inseparable and that, within the life of the Church, each of the workers of the Gospel must fulfill them according to his own charism and ministry, thus bringing together unity and diversity, fidelity and spontaneity.²¹. 21 The Pope concludes that "all together we feel the duty to celebrate [the Gospel of life] in the liturgy and in the whole of existence": that is, there is a celebration that has to do with the liturgy, but there is another celebration that takes place in the wide world, in the shore-less field of the whole of existence.²². The latter is the one that interests us here.

It is not easy to summarize what the Pope tells us in points 83 to 86 of the Encyclical, in which he deals at length with the celebration of the Gospel of life. But it is worth a try.

This section of the letter has as its motto some words from Psalm 139/138: "I thank thee for so many wonders: a wonder am I." This ejaculation of gratitude and wonder gives a jubilant and grateful tone to what follows. This ejaculation of gratitude and wonder gives a joyful and grateful tone to what follows. With profound psychological and pastoral intuition, the Pope reminds us that we are sent into the world as a "people for life" and that the advertisement of the Gospel of life must be a true and genuine celebration that, with its gestures, symbols and rites, becomes a vehicle for the beauty and greatness of this Gospel. Therefore, the dimensions of this celebration are not small, nor its objectives.

In an unexpected twist, the Pope tells us that for the celebration to be authentic, we need to cultivate in ourselves, and encourage in others, a contemplative gaze on the Gospel of life. The new culture of life requires us to deepen our faith, to believe firmly that the God of life creates each person as a prodigy, a miracle. We need to see human life in the depths of contemplation in order to marvel unceasingly at its gratuitousness and beauty, at the invitation to freedom and responsibility that is included in it. That penetrating contemplative gaze, which is respectful but not possessive, will reveal to us in each person the living image of the Creator, will make us see through transparency the intangible dignity of each human being so often hidden beneath the appearance of sickness, suffering, vulnerability, or the precariousness that precedes death. This contemplative gaze finds meaning in every human life, for it discovers in the face of every human being a call to mutual respect, dialogue and solidarity. In-depth reflection on the Gospel of life should fill us with a religious admiration for every human being, making us capable of venerating and respecting him or her. The Pope returns to the point of departure, affirming that it is by virtue of this contemplative vision of man that the people of life can burst forth in hymns of joy, praise and thanksgiving for the inestimable gift of life, a gift that mysteriously includes the call of every human being to participate, in Christ, in the life of grace and in an endless communion with God the Creator and Father.²³.

Having thus laid the foundations, John Paul II invites us to participate actively in the celebration of life and to build a culture of life in its festive dimension. He offers us a set of ideas, gentle and strong, which, if assimilated in depth, could give our dialogue with people an ever-renewed freshness and an inexhaustible capacity to overcome prejudices.

The first activity in which the celebration of the Gospel of life is to be manifested is joy in the creative Love of God, in the divine Life, life-giving in itself and creator of life, from which every living being proceeds and from which it comes to souls to be immortal. We believe in a God staff, Creator and Giver of life, whom it is not enough simply to confess as the remote Principle, Cause and unique Foundation of life. It is also necessary to praise, contemplate and celebrate God as the Life that vivifies all life.

The Holy Father goes on to list possibilities and suggestions suitable for celebrating life. Taking words from Psalm 139/138, he invites us to rejoice daily, in our prayer, with praise to God our Father who knit us together in the womb and saw us and loved us while we were still unformed. He invites us to burst forth, in the words that serve as the motto of this section of the encyclical, in thanksgiving to God for the marvel that we are. Quoting his predecessor Paul VI, the Pope presents the mysterious contrast between life and death as an occasion for joy: "This mortal life, despite its tribulations, its obscure mysteries, its sufferings, its fatal expiration, is a most beautiful fact, an ever original and moving wonder, an event worthy of being sung with joy and glory.

The Holy Father insists time and again, for this is the foundation of the culture of life, on establishing in our conscience the clear and profound idea of the dignity of every human being, of all human beings. And this dignity, so often hidden by sickness and ignorance, must nevertheless always be celebrated because it never lacks a spark of the glory of God: "In every child who is born and in every man who lives and dies we recognize the image of the glory of God, a glory that we celebrate in every man, a sign of the living God, an icon of Jesus Christ".²⁴.

These ideas and others contained in points 83-86 of the Encyclical should be frequent reading for those who are working to build a new culture of life. Moreover, they should be offered with hope to those who militate in the ranks of the culture of death, so that they can understand what is the strong core of love for human life.

But the time has come to ask ourselves what it means to celebrate the Gospel of life and what role it plays in the construction of the new culture.

If we had fully absorbed into our souls, into our moral conscience, this unconditioned attitude of admiration and joy before the almost divine dignity of man, our activity in favour of the culture of life that the Pope invites us to build, a culture that encompasses everything and has a thousand different aspects, would be very fruitful and lively.

I can speak, with some hesitation knowledge, of the role that the celebration of the Gospel of life can play in two areas: in the teaching of Medicine (I dare not speak of other university programs of study ), and in the social actions promoted in favor of life.

On the celebration of the Gospel of life in the biomedical teaching

Paradoxically, that contemplative gaze of which the Pope speaks does not seem very sharp among many university students. To begin with, how poorly inspired and poorly written seem most of the books our students study! They are coldly descriptive books, written with no enthusiasm for life, with a dull, one-dimensional, boringly formalistic objectivity. It would be necessary to rewrite the treatises on Biology and Pathology of Man with a new attitude, an attitude that would unite the rigor of scientific observation and the critical assessment of facts and hypotheses with the definitely human trait of admiration.

Many times it would be enough to introduce in books and explanations small pauses to give time and space to wonder and its innumerable motives. We would all be better educators if, in our classes and in our textbooks, we provided our students and readers with opportunities for a smile of gratitude for the beauty of life, and also to probe our ignorance, to make some calculations of how much we have yet to discover, of the inexhaustible hope of coming to know and admire the richness of living reality.

In this way we could protect students and professionals in the biomedical sciences from the terrible temptation of mechanistic simplism, from the risk of the routine vision of life, from the trivialization of the amazing, from the desertion of the affective.

It is therefore necessary to breathe life into life. Only in this way can we protect ourselves against the subtle narcotization of scientism. The mechanistic obsession - not the scientific analysis of biological mechanisms and processes and their adaptation to abnormal conditions induced by disease - tends to engrave in the mind of the student and researcher, that only what is mechanistically explainable has reality, which comes to mean, as an intellectual habit, that only what is dead is biological, since the paradigm in force today - that of Molecular Biology and Medicine - states that only that which can be explained in terms of molecules is scientifically valid. In this way, biology becomes a kind of thanatology.²⁵.

In such a context, the teaching of biomedical sciences loses intellectual breath and closes itself to the properly human and to ethical consideration. It falls into the barbarism of insensitivity, of blindness to the human. The human embryo becomes a mere cellular complex in which genes and modulating molecules are expressed, according to a mechanics of development, which is not at all different from that which governs the development of other more or less similar species. To speak, in a course of medical embryology, of the human embryo as a human being to be respected is considered an eccentricity. To admit that human nature is expressed in the embryo seems a betrayal of science. The mere reminder that our existence staff began with that humble, but glorious, appearance is rejected as if it were the accredited specialization of an unworthy ancestry.

The absence of reference letter to the living human in the teaching of basic biomedical sciences leaves students disarmed for meeting with patients at the beginning of clinical courses: they have not been familiarized with the human realities of illness and suffering. It is common today for the student to experience a strangeness reaction upon entering the hospital. Medical students could overcome it if they would read Evangelium vitae, not only because it is a superb lesson in medical ethics, but also because it is a profound lesson in medical humanity. We must tell our students, future physicians, that the medical vocation has as much or more to do with living men than with dead molecules, that they must learn to recognize and appreciate the sick in their uniqueness staff and in their human integrity, for only in this way will they be able to treat them in a truly professional manner that is both scientific and humane.

It is necessary to foster, as the Pope points out, in everyone, but particularly in those who are going to be doctors, honesty of intellect, sincerity of gaze, joyful love for life. This is achieved with the contemplative gaze of which the Holy Father speaks to us. There is a human insight that allows us to make reality transparent and open it up to meaning, which comes from professing human and celebratory wonder for life.

I like to quote some of the writings of Lewis Thomas, a man whose life was not illuminated by the light of faith, but who lived in the gloom of longing for God. Thomas, besides being a pathologist with an original outlook and a fascinating writer, was a man in love with life, a witness of the wonders of living. He wrote about living beings as very few have done so far.

From a article graduate On Embryology I take this sample, in which Thomas tells us what happens in the first days of our life. He describes with such panache what happens in that dawn of life that the lesson becomes an intense, marking, unforgettable experience. "You start from a single cell that comes from the fusion of a sperm and an oocyte. The cell divides into two, then into four, then into eight, and so it goes on. And, very soon, at a certain moment, it turns out that, from among them, one appears that is going to be the precursor of the human brain. The mere existence of that cell is the first of the wonders of the world. We should spend the hours of the day commenting on that fact. We should spend the whole day calling each other on the phone, in inexhaustible amazement, and meeting to talk only about that cell. It's unbelievable. But there it is, perched in its place in each of the billions of human embryos from all history, from all parts of the world, as if it were the easiest and most ordinary thing in life.

If you want to live from surprise to surprise, there you have the source of them all. One cell differentiates itself to produce the massive apparatus of trillions of cells, given to us to think, to imagine, and also, for that matter, to stay in one piece in the face of such a formidable surprise. All the information needed to learn to read and write, to play the piano, to argue before a committee of congress, to cross the street in traffic, or to perform that wonderfully human act of stretching out your arm and leaning against a tree: all that is contained in that first cell. In it is all grammar, all syntax, all arithmetic, all music [...]. Nobody has the remotest idea how that is done, but the truth is that nothing in this world seems more interesting. If, before I die," Lewis Thomas concluded, "someone finds the explanation of this phenomenon, I would do something crazy: I would rent one of those airplanes that can write signs in the sky, indeed, a whole squadron of those airplanes, and I would send them around the sky of the world to write one exclamation mark after another, until I ran out of money".²⁶.

The reason for transcribing this long excerpt is the way it expresses enthusiastic wonder and love for life. We should strive to match enthusiasm, awe and love in our academic lessons and discussions about human life when arguing for it. I think that ethical respect is embedded, not only in the metaphysical foundation, but also in the biological wonder, in the contemplative gaze.

But the culture of life is not only made of intelligence: it also requires love. In the Schools of Medicine, are medical students taught to love?

To be an active promoter of the culture of life, a cordial and intense knowledge is not enough. It is necessary to favor the growth of character. The culture of life requires generosity and service, overcoming selfishness, and a capacity for adventure. The Pope tells us that we need a patient and courageous educational work that urges each and everyone to become position of the burden of others, that we need a continuous promotion of vocations of service, particularly among the young. This effort educational is indispensable and urgent in today's social context, which is so cold and selfish.²⁷.

In an analysis of the crisis of humanity that the internship of Medicine is going through, a Jewish physician, Prof. Shimon Glick, states that such crisis is the direct result of the impoverishment in moral and ethical values that many Western democratic societies have introduced in their educational systems. It is enough to calculate the human and moral quality of young men and women candidates for the medical profession who have been raised and educated as children or adolescents in an affluent and openly permissive environment, accustomed to obtaining effortlessly and immediately what they want and whenever they want it; who are taught that the ultimate object of life is to aspire, at the lowest possible moral cost, to well-being and self-satisfaction. It is not to be expected that such children will grow into moral adults who will give themselves with generous energy to the practice of medicine.²⁸.

In today's educational style, the Education for generosity, for the joy of giving and giving is almost completely lacking. Esteem for moral values is not encouraged. The Education in virtue has been expelled from many universities, after labeling it as mere moralism, and it has been forgotten that the best that the university can offer is not so much the technical achievement, but the training of the character of its students.

If the Holy Father's wish that every university educator should be a search engine of man is to be realized²⁹If the Holy Father's desire that every university educator should be a "man's refund of man" is to become a reality, conversion is necessary, a return to Christian roots, to the university the joy of living. In this aspect, the celebration of life seems essential.

Celebration and activism in favor of life

I have already pointed out that one of the most insidious temptations that threaten the defenders of life is to succumb to the temptation of discouragement. There is no lack of reason if things are looking bleak. But it would be painful if the good salt were to lose its savor, if the preachers of the Gospel of life were to become bitter and vengeful, if they were to put in their words and actions more irritation than joy, more rancor than hope, more antagonism than charity.

It is understood that those who daily enter contact with the ideological aggressiveness of the neo-Malthusians and those who control the nerve centers of political inspiration and professional control, or who try to understand the extent and intensity of the massive destruction of human lives that, with the protection of the law, is perpetrated today in the world, have every reason to feel very sad and distressed: many are the sins that are committed, many are the lives that are cut short, much is the unrepentant obstinacy.

But we cannot forget that these sentiments are incompatible with the new culture of life. In every circumstance, the Gospel of life is good news, full of hope and promise, to be presented with serenity and love. And if possible, with liveliness in the eyes and a smile on the face, with an understanding and generous heart, with patience, courage and simplicity, and never lacking a touch of humor.

I recall once again the first page of the Encyclical. It charges us that the Gospel of life be preached faithfully and forcibly, without fear, but with the joy of good news to people of every age and culture, for it is a new law of freedom, joy and blessing. The Pope reminds us that God's commands are never separated from his love, that they are always a gift given for man's joy and growth.

It is very important that we find the right tone for our words and our work in favor of life at core topic . In Veritatis splendor, very early on, the Pope speaks of the effort to find "ever new expressions of love and mercy to be addressed not only to believers, but to all people of good will" and reminds us that the Church is an expert in humanity, a Mother and Teacher who places herself at the service of every man and woman, of all men and women.³⁰.

Pro-life activism must be informed by joy. We are told in Evangelium vitae that the Gospel of life is for the Church not only a joyful proclamation, but in itself source of joy.³¹. The Gospel of life, like the new culture that is attached to it, is not a political conviction, or a way of judging demographics, or of evaluating social relations. What should impel us to defend life is the gratitude we feel for the incomparable dignity of man. This is the reason that should impel us to share our message with other men and women.

Many times, when I read publications of pro-life movements, I miss the affirmative, encouraging, joyful, celebratory spirit that should energize pro-life actions. There is in these publications too much party politics, excessive personal references to the perpetrators of evil, excessive localism, exhibitionism of muscular virtues, touches of Manichaeism. Many of these publications are not very inspiring. They lack intellectual generosity. But this generosity is necessary for us. And also a bit of universal vision. And joy for the many wonders that are worked every day, in the form of conversion and repentance.

One thing is clear in the Pope's message. After Evangelium vitae, pro-life activism cannot stop being affirmative and revealing its evangelical richness. It can never again fall into the sad game of playing the counter, of accepting the challenge of competing in hatred or haughtiness, as its enemies want.

I believe that the celebration of the Gospel of life must be based on two fundamental supports. The first, very easy to express and, with God's financial aid , to put on internship, consists in a joyful and faithful acceptance of the teachings of the Magisterium of the Church. The second must be the firm conviction that this is a work for a long time, a fixed point in the diary of work of all of us. It is up to us to cooperate for life, each one with his or her own charism and vocation, in the knowledge dissemination, celebration and service of this gospel. We are to be tireless workers in an absorbing and almost endless work .

This means that, for the rest of our lives, each of us will have to devote a substantial part of our time and effort to this task which is as hard as it is promising. We cannot allow the impact of the Encyclical to fade away and die out in a few months.

Let us go through the world sowing with joy this doctrine, so human and true, giving thanks to God who allows us to draw from hatred love, from death life. The culture of life has to be built and thought with the financial aid of the reflection of the theologian, the abstraction of the thinker and the research of the sociologist. But also with personal stories, with poetry and songs that tell the beauty of real life, of the firmness of love. And that they do so with force, not to leave a fleeting impression, a slight stirring of the spirit, but a wound that hurts every day. We have to burden with understanding the strong confrontation between pro-lifers and pro-choicers, not in the sense of giving in on the non-negotiable principles of sacred respect for human life, but by putting more prayer for the conversion of the mistaken ones, more charity to feel towards them a painful love because of their mistakes and to pray for their return to the Father's house.

We cannot forget that the celebration of the Gospel of life is linked to the priestly official document of the followers of Christ, which must be informed by much mercy and intercession. We must all make an effort, under the influence of grace, to understand those who are in error and to attract them with a love that overcomes hatred and distance. The Pope gives us an example when he calls women who have had recourse to abortion to conversion to the Gospel of life. The Church," says John Paul II, "knows how many conditioning factors may have influenced their decision, and there is no doubt that in many cases it was a painful, even dramatic decision. It is true that what happened was and continues to be profoundly unjust. However, we must not give in to discouragement or give up hope. It is necessary to understand lucidly what happened and to interpret it in its truth. But there is still the great hope of repentance, of the forgiveness of the Father of all mercy. We must build, hand in hand with the Pope, this new sociology of forgiveness, of the truth of repentance, one of the highest human acts of dignity, a synthesis of the fragility of man with the merciful love of God.³².