Abortion not only goes against the law of God, but also against the Angolan cultural identity and is therefore a threat to the very existence of the nation, the bishops of Angola and Sao Tomé have said.
In a pastoral message issued at the end of the plenary assembly of CEAST – the Bishops Conference of Angola and Sao Tomé – the bishops stressed the importance of remembering that life is sacred “from conception” because “we are faced with an independent life with one own’s DNA”.
They underlined that “no human being can claim the right to suppress it under any pretext” and that therefore “parents, friends, educators and health care operators should not recommend or facilitate abortion.”
Rather, the bishops said, “they should encourage the acceptance of a new life, regardless of the circumstances in which it was conceived”.
They also argued that from the Angolan cultural point of view ”abortion is a disregard for the fundamental values of Angolan society,” and that “for any Angolan, regardless of religion, with or without the knowledge of the Gospel, life is always sacred.”
“Therefore, any threat against life, radically destabilizes our society,” the bishops said.
“Possible decriminalization of abortion would be a real attack on national security and to our survival as a people,” they added. “In fact, as experts of population policy say, “procreation determines the future of nations””.
“We remind everyone that Angola has been a Christian country for centuries. Therefore, it is expected that Parliament, elected by a large majority of Christians and mainly composed of believers, fulfil the duty to respect the wishes of their voters”, the message concluded.
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Source: Fides
