Catholics in the United States have marked October as "Respect Life Month" for many years, but this year, after the Supreme Court’s June decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, the intensity will be different. Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, is calling for Catholics to “practice radical solidarity and unconditional love” for pregnant and parenting mothers.
For those who have prayed for this SCOTUS decision to arrive, says Archbishop Lori, “it is the time for a renewal and rededication of our efforts to build a culture of life and civilization of love.”
He explains that “justice requires that the basic protections of the law against violence be extended to the preborn child” while adding that building “a world in which all are welcome requires not only justice, but compassion, healing, and above all, unconditional love.”
Archbishop Lori asks Catholics to “shift the paradigm to what Saint Pope John Paul II described as ‘radical solidarity,’ making the good of others our own good, including especially mothers, babies (born and unborn), and families throughout the entire human lifespan.”
He reminds the faithful that “Our Church understands that parents, children, and families need help not just during pregnancy, but throughout the whole of life’s journey because millions of Catholics already accompany their neighbors in such circumstances.”
Read Archbishop Lori’s full statement, “Building a Culture of Life in a Post-Roe World” here.
