WASHINGTON – On the release of the pastoral framework, “Life is always a good” from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, Bishop Daniel E. Thomas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities welcomed the framework that proposes a methodology for pastoral planning and synodal discernment.

Bishop Thomas stated that the framework affirmed the U.S. bishops’ nationwide and parish-based initiative, Walking with Moms in Need, which is marking its fifth anniversary:

“We welcome today’s release of a pastoral framework entitled, ‘Life is always a good’ from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life. On this 30th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s landmark pro-life encyclical, Evangelium Vitae (the Gospel of Life), the framework, addressed to Family and Life Offices of the Bishops’ Conferences and Dioceses throughout the world, proposes a methodology for pastoral planning and synodal discernment. The framework lays out themes including: ‘Beginning of Life;’ ‘Throughout the Course of Life;’ ‘End of Life;’ ‘Cross-cutting Themes;’ and ‘Research.’ These themes cover a wide range of life issues such as abortion, sexuality, violence against women, IVF, suicide, poverty, human trafficking, contraception, war, deportation, addictions, abortion healing, end-of-life care, persons with disabilities, as well as many others.

“The comments from Pope Francis, five years ago on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Gospel of Life, now invite readers to engage the pastoral framework: ‘Dear Brothers and Sisters, every human life, unique and unrepeatable, has value in and of itself; it is of inestimable value. This must always be proclaimed anew with the courage of the Word and the courage of actions. It calls us to solidarity and fraternal love for the great human family and each of its members.’ (General Audience of 25 March 2020, 25th Anniversary of Evangelium Vitae)

“This framework affirms our own ‘Walking with Moms in Need’ nationwide and parish-based initiative which also celebrates its fifth anniversary today. Inspired by the Gospel of Life, the Walking with Moms in Need process follows the same approach as proposed in the framework: listening to needs at the local level; surveying available resources and gaps; discerning an appropriate response; launching a pastoral response; and evaluating and adapting that response to best accompany those in need. As noted in the framework, all of this involves the formation and engagement of the laity, with the encouragement of their pastors.

“This pastoral framework emphasizes that ‘we cannot separate faith from the defense of dignity and human life… Dignity exists and can never be lost because the individual exists; it extends to the entire person, regardless of his abilities, in any conditions and situations they may be, from conception to natural death. Today, this truth must be explained, narrated, and proclaimed.’ (Life is always a good).”