MANILA (RVA news): During Sunday Mass on February 23 at the Manila Cathedral for the 2025 Walk for Life, Jose Cardinal Advincula of Manila, the Philippines, emphasised the sacredness of life and the responsibility that comes with it.
“Let us continue marching and proclaiming that life is beautiful, that it is an undeserved gift, and that it is also a task and a responsibility to uphold and protect,” he said in his homily.
The archbishop spoke out against various threats to human dignity, including abortion, the commodification of sex, and what he described as the “manipulation of human procreation.”
He strongly condemned euthanasia, referring to it as “mercy killing” and calling it “morally indefensible.”
Furthermore, he reiterated that extrajudicial killings are “evil” and go against the dignity of human life.
This year’s Walk for Life, an annual event promoting the sanctity of human life and the family, brought together over 3,500 participants who walked a two-kilometre route from Rizal Park to Manila Cathedral at dawn on February 23, publicly affirming their commitment to defending life, especially the unborn.
Organised by the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas, or Philippine Council of the Laity, the event was held in partnership with the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life [ECFL] of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and the Manila Archdiocesan Office for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation.
Bishop Jesse Mercado of the Diocese of Parañaque, chairperson of the ECFL, highlighted the importance of collective action in upholding life and family values.
“Our presence here is a clear message to the world that life is sacred, family is a gift, and unity is our strength,” Bishop Mercado said.
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The bishop further expressed “hope that our collective voice will continue to shape a culture that values every human person from conception to natural death.”
