The protection of life is a principle not tied to a mandate given by the people, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Galea Curmi stressed on Sunday during Mass to mark the International Day of Life.
"My appeal today is that we all commit ourselves to the protection of life as a principle we embrace rather than because convention dictates such," Mgr Galea Curmi said at St John's Co-Cathedral.
"The protection of life, as a principle, is not tied to a mandate given by the people. I shall put it in simpler terms: I am against cruelty to animals on principle. If the people give a mandate for animals to be mistreated, I stand wholeheartedly against it all the same since this is a principle that does not depend on the people’s mandate. The protection of life even at conception is also a question of principle."
The fact that it was said that Malta was all alone in the protection of human life from conception was not a matter of shame, he added.
"It makes us proud that for us, human life is so precious that we wish the very best for the child when it is still in the womb even when it is only a mass of cells. It is not the number cells that determines whether it is a human life or not."
It is not the number cells that determines whether it is a human life or not
Mgr Galea Curmi said that alongside the defence of life of the child in or out of the womb, the Church wanted to work for a culture in favour of life at every stage of a person’s being.
A culture in favour of life at every stage of a person’s being
"Whenever human life is in danger we should be united to protect it. It may be that someone’s life is in danger at sea struggling to live, waiting for someone to help or risk going under. Another person could be in danger because of the conditions he or she is living in. The life of others could be at risk due to pollution and the destruction of the environment. Someone might be tempted to take drugs and is duped into thinking that these so-called recreational drugs are the gateway to good times without consequences.
"It could also be that a person who is old and infirm is anxious that he or she may be considered to be someone whose time is up.
As persons of principle, we should have zero tolerance to all threats to life
"As persons of principle, we should have zero tolerance to all threats to life," he insisted.
MgrGaleaCurmi said there also needed to be a stronger commitment to help those who were suffering, such as women who faced difficulties about their pregnancy.
"We must give our support in every way to those women who endure all the burden and are left alone. Every victim cries out for our help. We must work together so that these women do not find themselves alone, they may find in us the support they need during their hard times."
He said that even those who had not yet acknowledged God in their lives or those who did not believe in him could understand that life was precious and that the protection of life should not be taboo.
"We must all show our gratitude and pray for all those who give witness to life so that, with courage, they will continue to convey this all-important message for our time. Saint Paul tells that love does not rejoice in injustice but rejoices in truth."