Day for Life is the day in the Church’s year dedicated to raising awareness about the meaning and value of human life at every stage and in every condition.
The Church teaches that life is to be nurtured from conception to natural death. In England and Wales, Day for Life is celebrated on the third Sunday of June each year.
This year it falls on June 16. The theme is The Lord is my Shepherd – Compassion and Hope at the End of Life.
A debate on end-of-life issues has been in the headlines in recent months, with calls for assisted suicide being expressed, especially by celebrities.
It is a view that opposes the Catholic view that life is a gift and that we are called to care for others at the end of their lives.
Day for Life is marked on the same day by the three Bishops’ Conferences of England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
You can find resources to enable parishes to highlight and pray for Day for Life, including the Day for Life 2024 Message and Prayers, here…
Pope Francis has sent a message to Bishop John Sherrington, Lead Bishop for Life Issues at the Bishops’ Conference, praising Day for Life for encouraging “a deeper understanding of the precious gift of life”.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, conveyed the message to Bishop Sherrington, assuring him of the Holy Father’s “closeness in prayer”.
Full message
His Holiness Pope Francis sends warms greetings of good wishes to the participants in the 2024 Day for Life to be celebrated in England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland on 16 June, and he expresses gratitude for those bearing witness to the sanctity of human life in all its stages.
His Holiness prays that through their reflection on the theme “The Lord is my shepherd – compassion and hope at the end of life”, this public testimony will encourage a deeper understanding of the precious gift of life and a greater desire to protect the most vulnerable from a culture that would pressure them into ‘assisted suicide’, which is falsely presented as a form of compassion.
It is likewise his hope that those nearing the end of their earthly journey will recognise the immense value of their lives, experience the comforting presence of Jesus and their loved ones, receive dignified care and trust deeply in God’s promise of eternal life. To all taking part, especially the young, the Holy Father sends the assurance of his closeness in prayer, and he cordially sends his blessing as a pledge of joy, strength and peace in Christ, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Secretary of State, Holy See