Thousands of people took to the streets of Berlin and Cologne on Saturday, September 20, to participate in the traditional March for Life, in defense of human dignity from conception to natural death.
The gatherings, which coincided with a similar demonstration in Zurich and precede future marches in Vienna and Vilnius, took place peacefully despite boycott attempts by left-wing groups, quickly contained by the police.
Episcopal Support for the Demonstrators
In Berlin, the faithful gathered near the Brandenburg Gate, accompanied by the Bishop of Regensburg, Mons. Rudolf Voderholzer, and the auxiliary of Berlin, Mons. Matthias Heinrich. In Cologne, the auxiliary bishop Dominik Schwaderlapp celebrated Holy Mass with the participants before the march.
The president of the German Episcopal Conference, Mons. Georg Bätzing, sent a message emphasizing that life is a gift from God entrusted to man and not a right that is acquired.
Political Demands and Rejection of Euthanasia
The German Federation for the Right to Life called for complete statistics on abortion, rigorous assessments in counseling centers, and full freedom of conscience for doctors and healthcare workers, even in training. It also reiterated that assisted suicide is “a declaration of society’s bankruptcy” and demanded more support for hospices and palliative care.
An Expanding International Movement
That same day, about 2,000 people marched in Zurich, focusing the debate on the challenges of prenatal medicine and the testimony of survivors of late-term abortions. In Lithuania, the next march on October 4 in Vilnius will be the largest in over three decades and will take place just before the parliamentary debate on a reproductive health law.
The organizers emphasized that, in the words of the Lithuanian Simonas Streikus:
“human life is the foundation of our humanity, a value that never changes and that we must honor with respect, love, and protection”.
Source: Aciprensa / Gaudium Press