Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Mexico City (Agenzia Fides) - “May Children’s Day be a special occasion for the family and for institutions to promote respect for human life, as a gift and a task that begins at conception and is continued in a constant effort of support and care,” said Bishop Rodrigo Aguilar Martinez of Tehuacan, President of the Bishops’ Committee on the Family, in celebration of Children’s Day on April 30, in Mexico.
Bishop Rodrigo recalled that “children are a gift from God and a sign of His presence in families and in the society,” and thus, “as adults, we should let ourselves be taken by the smile and affection of children, who help us to overcome the frustration that we experience in so many of life’s difficult situations.”
Bishop Rodrigo later congratulated and thanked the people and institutions that dedicate their time and energy to children, especially to those with disabilities and those who are abandoned. He also lamented the fact that there are children who suffer from internal violence in their families or children that have to work to bring money home, and the children who suffer sexual abuse. With that in mind, he encouraged, “a humble and courageous recognition, with a spirit of repentance, of what we may have done or not done to harm children.”
According to the Bishops, celebrating Children’s Day implies much more than just thinking of children on that day. It means offering them a home, a wholesome family, a wholesome education that is appropriate for their age and in terms of their affectivity, sexuality, freedom, and responsibility. It means offering them testimonies and examples of lives of faith, and prayer; offering them mutual support and accompaniment so that they may offer a testimony of Christ as authentic missionaries.
Archbishop Jose Luis Chavez-Botello of Antequera-Oaxaca asks that in celebrating this Day, we should all work to defend and save children, as “today they are threatened on all sides, even by those from whom they would expect protection and love.” Children are threatened by abortion, marginalization, and domestic violence that leaves thousands of them without a healthy home environment. The Archbishop of Oaxaca also proposed adoption as a possible response in the effort to fill the void these children have. He also asked that a project be launched in preventing crime and drug abuse, among other matters.
“Will we be successful in making progress on this matter? Let us celebrate this day for children, for those who need it and those who impose this duty upon us,” Archbishop Chavez-Botello concluded.
The celebration of Children’s Day is taking place amidst controversy, as it marks the one-year anniversary of the legalization of abortion in Mexico (Federal District).
According to the authorities in the capital, since abortion was legalized in Mexico City one year ago, there have been 7, 776.
In facing this situation, various social sectors have hosted events to recall the over 7,000 babies that have been killed in the past year. In one of these events, on the steps of the central Legislation Building of the Federal District, 7,000 candles were lit and left there at 5am on April 24. That same evening, the same number were lit in front of the Monument to Mothers in the “Delegación Cuauhtémoc.” Both events were accompanied by prayers and petitions made to the legislative authorities, to prevent yet another massacre of this kind.
The law that allows the women of Mexico City to have an abortion up to 12-weeks’ gestation time, was passed on April 24, 2007, as a result of a majority vote in the Legislative Assembly of the Federal District. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 30/4/2008, righe 47, parole 604)
