CV NEWS FEED // A new Vatican document is drawing praise from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for affirming their national pro-life effort, Walking with Moms in Need, a parish-based initiative that marked its fifth anniversary this week.
In a March 25 statement, Bishop Daniel E. Thomas, who chairs the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, called the Vatican’s newly released pastoral framework, “Life is always a good,” an affirmation of the bishops’ grassroots efforts to accompany women facing unexpected pregnancies.
Released by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, the Vatican’s framework calls for a renewed pastoral commitment to life issues at every stage, from conception to natural death. The document addresses a wide spectrum of concerns, including abortion, IVF, suicide, violence against women, human trafficking, end-of-life care, and disabilities, among many others.
“The framework affirms our own ‘Walking with Moms in Need’ nationwide and parish-based initiative,” Bishop Thomas said, adding that both approaches emphasize “listening to needs at the local level; surveying available resources and gaps; discerning an appropriate response; launching a pastoral response; and evaluating and adapting that response to best accompany those in need.”
>> Catholic bishops’ Walking with Moms in Need ministry celebrates 5th anniversary <<
The document recalls Pope Francis’ 2020 reflection on Evangelium Vitae, in which the Pope states, “every human life, unique and unrepeatable, has value in and of itself; it is of inestimable value.”
Bishop Thomas echoed the Holy Father’s sentiment that the Church must continue to proclaim this truth “with the courage of the Word and the courage of actions.”
The framework also stresses the inseparability of faith and the defense of human dignity.
“Dignity exists and can never be lost because the individual exists; it extends to the entire person… from conception to natural death,” it reads.
Bishop Thomas noted that the Walking with Moms in Need initiative shares this foundation, encouraging parishes to form pastoral responses grounded in love, accompaniment, and practical support for mothers and their children.
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