Pope Leo XIV assured his prayers “for all parents who suffer the loss of a child, especially a baby,” on the occasion of the upcoming Day for Life, which will be celebrated in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland this coming Sunday, June 21.

In a message signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Pope said he is praying that these parents “find consolation and peace in the knowledge of God’s love for them” and for the child they have lost. 

“This divine love gives meaning to the life of every person and, far from ending with death, invites us to a new fullness in eternity,” the pontiff affirmed.

According to a statement from the Irish Bishops’ Conference, Pope Leo XIV also sent his best wishes and prayers to all those participating in this day of prayer, which is centered on “wonder at the full humanity of the child in the mother’s womb” as well as the efforts made to support mothers and fathers who have suffered the loss of a baby.

He also urged parents to find the support they need in the Church community, “especially in a life nourished by prayer and the sacraments.”

‘Wonder at the child in the mother’s womb’

Organized under the title “Wonder at the Child in the Mother’s Womb,” the Day for Life, which always falls on Father’s Day, recalls that every human being is endowed with infinite dignity from the very moment of conception, “simply by existing, by having been wanted, created, and loved by God,” as the pope recalled in his recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas.

The Bishops’ Conferences of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland recalled in their statement that fatherhood “is a vocation full of joys and hopes, but also of sorrows and concerns.”

The bishops wished to specially acknowledge the pain of parents who have lost a child before birth or during infancy and to offer them a message of hope and consolation: that of fullness in eternity.

The Church wants to be especially close to these parents, according to the bishops, who emphasized the need for spiritual and pastoral accompaniment as parents face physical and psychological consequences, as well as the feeling of powerlessness in not knowing how to support their family or how to express their own grief. 

The bishops also recalled that “God has created, wanted, and deeply loved from all eternity every child, including those who lose their lives before birth or shortly afterward.”

The prelates emphasized that the word of God “reveals the sacred humanity of the unborn child” and that parents therefore understand how precious and unique the child they have lost is: “They know that no other child will ever be able to replace him,” they affirmed.

From this perspective, the bishops denounced the inconsistency of describing life in the mother’s womb as a mere cluster of cells. “How can that life be someone so loved and valuable to their parents and, at the same time, be considered something worthless and disposable?” they asked.

The prelates insisted that science is clear in stating that life begins at the moment of fertilization. “The more we learn from science, the more we understand the Church’s teaching on the unique value of the unborn child,” they highlighted.

They further recalled that every human being is not only a body “but also an immortal soul, with a unique and eternal relationship with God, our Creator,” which is why the unborn child “deserves full protection under the law.”

They emphasized that the Church “has always rejected voluntary abortion” and committed themselves to “work and pray so that our society values the life of every child,” especially in the earliest stages of human existence.