"Mercy will make life flourish: that of migrants turned away in their boats or at the borders of Europe, the lives of children forced to become soldiers, the lives of older people excluded from their homes and abandoned in nursing homes, the lives of those who are exploited by unscrupulous bosses, the lives of persons whose right to be born is not recognized." This statement was made by the Permanent Episcopal Council in its message for the 38th National Day for Life, which will be celebrated on February 7th.
 
Life is change, growth, dialogue and mercy, says the document "Mercy Makes Life Flourish," which is inspired by the words that Pope Francis spoke on May 30th, 2015: "The plague of abortion is an attack on life. Allowing our brothers and sisters to die on boats in the strait of Sicily is an attack on life. Dying on the job because the minimum safety standards are not respected is an attack on life. Death from malnutrition is an attack on life. Terrorism, war, violence; so is euthanasia. Loving life means always taking care of the other, wanting the best for him, cultivating and respecting her transcendent dignity."
"There is true growth in humanity primarily thanks to maternal and paternal love," write the Bishops; and "the family, composed of a man and a woman in a stable relationship, is vital if it continues giving birth and generating". Yet, our country "endures suffering from an alarming demographic decline, which is due primarily to a lack of authentic family policies. While we constantly invest considerable energy in favor of small groups of people, there is apparently not the same commitment to the millions of families who, sometimes surviving through employment precarity, continue to provide extraordinary care for children and the elderly. It is care for others—both in the family and at school—that offers a horizon of meaning for life and growth in a fully human society."
"Making the world a family"—that is "God‘s dream"—becomes methodical, explain the Bishops, "when we learn to protect life from conception to its natural end and when fraternity radiates from the family to the condominium, to workplaces, schools, hospitals, reception centers, and civil institutions." What is needed—they conclude—is a contagion of mercy: "Infecting with mercy means saying, with Pope Francis, that mercy is the new name for peace."