For the very young (and not only…) who have not known this great Pontiff we like to remember his beautiful and precious prayer:
Prayer of John Paul II
We will stand up every time that human life is threatened
we will stand up when the sacredness of life before birth is attacked…
We will stand up and proclaim that
no one ever has the authority to destroy unborn life…
We will stand up when a child is described as a burden
or is looked upon only as a means to satisfy an emotional need
and insist that every child is a unique and unrepeatable gift of God
We will stand up when the institution of marriage
is abandoned to human selfishness…
and affirm the indissolubility of the marriage bond…
We will stand up when the value of the family
is threatened because of social and economic pressures
and reaffirm that the family is “necessary
not only for the private good of every person,
but also for the common good of every society, nation and state
We will stand up when freedom
is used to dominate the weak,
to squander natural resources and energy,
and to deny basic necessities to people,
and reaffirm the demands of justice…
We will stand up when the sick, the aged or the dying
are abandoned in loneliness
and proclaim that they are worthy of love, care and respect
Pope John Paul II Washington, on October 7, 1979
