In Rome on the afternoon of March 24th, under the merciful eyes of the Salus Populi Romani in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, a great prayer vigil, organized by the Pontifical Council for the Family, will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the encyclical "Evangelium Vitae."
 
The program of " Evangelium Vitae: Twenty Years " is scheduled to begin at 5:00 pm with some words of welcome and an introductory speech. There will then be a time of reflection and testimony. At 6:00 pm, the Holy Rosary will be recited, and the vigil will conclude with the celebration of Holy Mass.
The encyclical, promulgated on March 25th, 1995—we recall—, speaks of the value and inviolability of human life and is directly linked to the teachings in the encyclical Humanae Vitae, written by Paul VI in 1953.