we are members of a catholic association, "Defending Life with Mary", born as an answer to the appeal of the Holy Father in his encyclical letter Evangelium Vitae: "…a general mobilization of the consciences and a common ethical effort are urgent" in order to put into effect a grat strategy in favor of life". Our purpose is that of helping him to spread the culture of life all over the world. We are organizing an international Congress which will take place in Mexico City in October: "The Guadalupan Appeal". From the 27th to the 31st of October we are meeting in Guadalupe to make an act of Consecration to Mary in defence of life; to affirm the status and dignity of the human embryo in a solemn public demonstration and to create an awareness of the respect due to the mortal remains of the unborn. We would like to invite you at the congress and to ask you a support for its promotion. Would you be so kind as to link your Web Site with ours (www.moredata.it/advm)? By means of these links we can speed up the promotion of our project.
Enclosed you will find all the information necessary to understand our Association and its purposes. We trust that you will take into account our proposal and we thank you in advance for your attention.
Yours Sincerely,
Rosanna Brusco (Secretary)
To all those who feel called to respond to the Holy Father's request to promote the culture and defense of life.
To affirm the status and dignity of the human embryo with a solemn public demonstration, to express the fundamental value of life as a gift from God, and to send an appeal to the international institutions to put an end to the crime of legal abortion. To this purpose the Pontifical Academy for Life will hold a worldwide scientific congress.
To recognize our duty and to promote the burial of aborted children. The Catholic Church teaches that "the remains of human embryos and voluntarily or involuntarily aborted fetuses should be respected in the same way as the remains of any other human being" (Donum Vitae 1,4; 1987).
United Kindom
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Wednesday Oct. 27, 99
Arrival and record
3:00 p.m. Guided visit to the Tepeyac divided in language groups
5:00 p.m. Salutation to the Virgin Mary at the Basilica
Introduction to the Congress
5:25 p.m. Greeting from the representative of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral of the Healthcare Workers
5:30 p.m. Lecture: Defending Life With Mary by P. Daniel Ange
6:30 p.m. Holy Mass celebrated by His Eminence Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, Pre-sident of the Pontifical Council for the family
8:00 p.m. Return to the Hotel
Thursday Oct. 28, 99
First day of Congress
6:30 p.m. Eucharistic concelebration
Friday Oct. 29, 99
Second day of Congress
6:45 p.m. Holy Mass - His Eminence Mons. Justo Mullor, Apostolic Delegate in Mexico City
Saturday Oct. 30, 99
World Day of the Holy Rosary
8:30 a.m. Morning prayer
9:15 a.m. Theological meditation by P. Renè Laurentin
10:15 a.m. Praise homage to the Virgin Mary, Mother of Life: praises in different lan-guages with songs
11:00 a.m. Lecture: The due act of mercy by His Eminence Cardinal Alfonso López Trujillo
12:00 a.m. Holy Mass
1:30 p.m. Lunch in Hotel
3:00 p.m. Celebration of the World Day of the Rosary
Led by His Eminenence Card. Norberto Rivera Carrera
Sunday Oct. 31, 99
Consecration day to Mary
8:30 a.m. Morning prayer
9:00 a.m. Holy Mass led by His Eminence Card. Norberto rivera Carrera with Consecra-tion to Mary
10:30 a.m. Testimonies
11:00 a.m. Lecture: The Guadalupan call and mission by Don Maurizio Gagliardini
11:30 a.m. Final Considerations. Final greeting by the Organizer Committee.
Thursday 28.10.99
9:30 Inauguration of the congress:
- Welcome from the President of «DVM»
- Welcome from the President of the Pontifical Academy for Life
- Welcome from His Eminence Cardinal Norberto Rivera, Archbishop of Mexico City
11.00 Break
11:30 Physiological status of the human embryo
Prof. Roberto Colombo
Prof. emeritus of human biology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan
12:00 Break
12:15 Biological and genetic status of the human embryo
Dr. Monica López Barahona
General Academic Co-ordinator, Francisco de Victoria University, Madrid
13:00 Questions
13.00 Lunch
15.00 Treatment and mistreatment of the human embryo today
Prof. Etienne Montero
Professor emeritus of the University of Leuven, Belgium
16:00 Round Table: "The drama of medicine before the embryo"
with Dr. Bernard Nathanson, Dr. Martha Garza, Dr. Dianne Irving
Friday 29.10.99
9:30 Anthropological status of the human embryo
Prof. Ramón Lucas
Professor of Philosophic Anthropology, Gregorian University, Rome
10:15 Break
10:45 Juridical status of the human embryo
Dr. María Dolores Vila-Coro
Professor of Bio-ethics and Law, Francisco de Victoria University, Madrid
11:30 Round Table: Law and society before the embryo
With On. Carlo Casini, Avv. Guido Romanelli, Prof. D'Agostino
13.30 Lunch
15.30 Living testimonies in favour of life
Sara Smith, Sr. Elvira Petrozzi, and other testimonies against abortion
17.00 Ethical considerations regarding the human embryo and the fetus
Most Rev. Elio Sgreccia
Vice President of the Pontifical Academy for Life
17:45 Conclusions and closing
Under the auspices of the Pontifical Council for the Family and the Pontifical Council for Healthcare Workers, the Association "Defending life with Mary", in association with Aid to the Church in Need, Priests for life, Sacerdos, the International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations (I.F.C.M.A.) and the Union Internationale des Jurists Catholiques, in the Archdiocese of Mexico City, promote "The Guadalupan Appeal". In this context the Pontifical Academy for Life, the Association "Defending life with Mary" organize the International Scientific Congress "Dignity and status of the human embryos"
In fact at Guadalupe the Holy Virgin Mary appeared wearing a belt, a symbol of pregnancy among the natives. In this way she came to the people carrying the Baby Jesus in Her womb, like the woman who appeared in the sky in the great sign of the Book of Relevation. Here originates the invitation to the great Basilica of Guadalupe. Together with the catholics of Mexico, we want to make a Solemn ACT OF Consecration to the Virgen Morenita – Our Lady of Guadalupe- the sun dresses Mother who fights against the dragon and defends life, to create in the world a solid obstacle to evil, which in our time has brought about a culture of death and mobilizes daunting strategies against life.
All over the world, abortion has spread dramatically. It is estimated that since the first legalization of abortion, which took place in Russia in 1920, then in Japan, in Canada and afterwards in very many countries, the number of human lives put to death before their births has reached and exceeded a thousands millions, that is one fifth of humanity.
The remains of abortion fetus are usually treated in very inhuman way. Sometimes they are used, often illegally, as biological material for different purposes such as the production of cosmetics or complementary matters for road asphalt, or they are destroyed or thrown away together with hospital waste materials. This situation cannot be tolerated by Christian and human conscience any longer.
Following these remarks and the consideration on the wide literature on the Church teaching in the past few years, from "Donum Vitae" to "Evangelium Vitae", the directions of the teaching and ordinary life is strong in many catholics.
The project of The Guadalupan Appeal aims first of all to make consciences aware of those serious problem and to consecrate the care of life to the Virgin. Consecration to the Virgin simply means an act of love and devotion for Her, that is to acknowledge Her role in promoting and defending life.
Aware then of the necessity of investing and spreading the scientific and ethical aspect that might enlighten the consciences as to these problem, the Pontifical Academy for Life together with the Association ""defending life with Mary" organizes an important International Congress on the status of the human embryo, which will be held concomitantly of The Guadalupan Appeal.
The event will be enlightening and purposeful contribution to the catholic people and particularly those in Latin America, where a young and deeply catholic rooted population is waiting for an encouraging word so that can help them to move towards a future full of dangers and hopes.
Beside the Scientific Congress, for those who find difficult to take part in it (because they have children with them or due to other reasons), we propose a 2-day cultural and religious itinerary about the interpretation of the Gospel in Latin America:
1° day - day dedicated to the pre-Columbian cultures and religions that have prepared the coming of the Christianity in Central America (visit of the pyramids)
2° day - day dedicated to the religious expressions in the Christian culture of Mexico (Cathedral, Town Hall, etc...) and to the Guadalupan event.
The Congress will join the World Rosary Day, which originated in Mexico City and now takes place in many countries in the world.