Cardinal Burke: Youth Understand Bankruptcy of Anti-Life Culture

Cardinal Raymond Burke with Rome's minister for equal opportunities, Lavinia Mennuni, and Roberto de Mattei of the Lepanto Foundation.
Cardinal Raymond Burke with Rome's minister for equal opportunities, Lavinia Mennuni, and Roberto de Mattei of the Lepanto Foundation. (photo: E Pentin)

Cardinal Raymond Burke took a prominent role in Sunday’s first ever March for Life in Rome, presiding over Eucharistic adoration in St. Mary Major basilica Saturday in reparation for the crime of abortion and taking part in the march the next day. In this short interview with the Register, the prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura reflected on the importance of the march as he joined the thousands of people who walked from the Colosseum to St. Peter’s basilica.

What are your opinions and reflections on the March for Life?

The march is very important as a fundamental witness to the inviolable dignity of human life and the responsibility all of us have to restore the respect for the dignity of human life in society. Rome, as one of the most important cities in the world, makes it important this March is held here. Certainly it has great significance for Italy, but it also has great significance for the whole world. I’ve met people today from north and south America, from Poland, Africa, various parts of Europe and we see the great thirst especially of young people. If you look at the participation here, most of them are young people. They understand the bankruptcy of a culture and society which is anti-life and anti-family and so they’re here to manifest to others their commitment for life and for the family.

Do you detect with this march that perhaps the tide is turning?

I believe so and I’ve believed this for some time. There’s no question that the contrary forces are great and hold a lot of so-called worldly power, but here you have a force which is profoundly spiritual and it will eventually triumph and overcome the forces of the culture of death.

Surprisingly it’s only the first March for Life in Rome.

It is, and the organisers say that they have been inspired by the march in the United States that has been going on since the sad decision of the Supreme Court there. But that it happens here now is good and my prediction is that you’ll see this grow and grow and grow. There’s a temptation to discouragement because they haven’t been able to repeal the abortion laws and so forth. And we see now [the push towards] euthanasia, stem cell research and so forth, but the march brings us together and we understand that there are many, many hearts that are desiring to see change. So it’s very, very powerful. That’s why I’m a big proponent of these big types of manifestations. I believe that they’re greatly important for the advance of the culture of life.

Also opposition to same-sex marriage is a subject of this march as well as opposition to abortion?

As I understand it, I believe the march is aimed at the restoration and respect of human life and so it would be directed towards the culture of life. Many of the people I’ve spoken with here, also from other parts of the world, have expressed their great concern about the whole same-sex, homosexual agenda. That’s only natural because fundamentally what you’re dealing with, with that agenda, is a profound confusion and really error with regard to human life and the sexual identity of each human being and each importance for human life itself. We’re made man and woman to love one another but also to join in an indissoluble and faithful union for the procreation of new human life.