Early in the morning of that Sunday, April 9, John and Peter, anguished, full of pain, but also of a love that does not die, ran to the tomb [see: John 20:3]. It was empty. John, seeing the left bandages that had covered the body of Jesus, believed. The Lord is alive. It will take longer to Peter. The course of history, the cadence of time got marked by that singular day when the Rabbi of Nazareth conquered death, evil, darkness and left the tomb. This event changed the lives of many, became culture and forged civilizations. In many countries of world the first day of the week is "Sunday" – which means "the Lord's Day" in Latin – in remembrance of that day. Justin, around the year 155, wrote the following to the pagan emperor Antoninus Pius: “on the day that is called 'day of the sun' Christians gather, where we read the memoirs of the apostles, we offer our prayers, and the bread, wine and water are consecrated [...] because it was the day when Jesus, our Savior, rose from the dead.”
The brilliant British historian Christopher Dawson demonstrated in his studies the indissoluble link between religion and culture, and between culture and civilization in such a way that all civilizations are in some way the reflections of the answers that nations give to fundamental questions about the origin, purpose and ultimate destiny of mankind. The response of the Christian faith from the death till the resurrection of Jesus Christ forged the civilizations together that founded Europe and America. These civilizations preserve the conviction of the precious value of every human person, the fundamental law of love, and the fact that evil never has the last word, even in politics. As Pope Francis said in his homily at the Easter Vigil of last Saturday: "even from the ruined remnants of our humanity God prepares a new history." To celebrate this holiday with you, which for Christians lasts for 50 days, I would like to share an image with you of the magnificent painting ‘The Disciples Peter and John Running to the Sepulchre on the Morning of the Resurrection’, by Eugène Burnand, painted in 1898 and exhibited in the Musée d'Orsay, in Paris.
This week we also want to highlight three more issues:
Good news from Argentina. It is shared with us by Liliana Negre de Alonso, lawyer, former Senator and member of our Political Network for Values. Thanks to a lawsuit she filed, a judge in the province of San Luis, a central province of the country, declared the quite recently adopted abortion law unconstitutional in that jurisdictional region. The sentence was issued on March 18 by Judge María Eugenia Bona and is the first of its kind in the country. To be fully valid, the ruling must be ratified by the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation. Negre's action and Bona's failure are a first step that shows that it is always possible to make a bet on hope. Learn more about the story here.
In Europe the right to life is under attack. Next month, a draft resolution by Croatian MP Predrag Matić, a member of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, who presents abortion as it was a fundamental right, calls on the member states to abolish their national laws that limit the practice of abortion and to repeal conscience clauses. In addition, on March 25, two EP Commissions held a hearing on "foreign financing" of pro-life organizations in the European Union, in order to call them in question. These two actions are the product of the lobby coordinated by Neil Datta, Secretary of the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (EPF), funded by the IPPF, the Gates Foundation and the Open Society Foundations. We clearly and firmly express our rejection of the draft resolution and the attempt to stigmatize pro-life activists – something similar to what Víctor Madrigal-Borloz is doing for the UN Human Rights Council. Read more about the case here.
A bill to protect children. Senator Milla Romero, from the Democratic Center, is preparing a bill to protect minors from pornography and treat this phenomenon as a public health issue in Colombia. The initiative was announced on March 19 at the international forum "Sexual Violence and Pornography", organized in the Congress of the Republic by the parliamentarian, with the collaboration of Political Network for Values. Among the participants were our vice president Senator María del Rosario Guerra, former Colombian president Álvaro Uribe, and international experts such as sociologist Gail Dines, neurologist Donald Hilton, Austrian MP Gudrun Kugler, and the president of the International Center on Sexual Exploitation, Haley McNamara. See the video of the forum here.
Next, please, find the links to other relevant news that I have selected for you.
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Orbán, Morawiecki and Salvini promote an alliance for the rebirth of Europe based on Christian values
Budapest | Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, and Matteo Salvini, leader of the League, the main conservative party in Italy, have launched the basis of a cooperative alliance among themselves. They want a renaissance in Europe by going back to its Christian roots. The important trilateral meeting was held in Budapest on April 1. Keep reading
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Dominican Republic Refuses to Decriminalize Abortion
Santo Domingo | On March 24, the Congress of Deputies of the Dominican Republic rejected the inclusion of three grounds for the decriminalization of abortion in the Penal Code. The celestial victory was overwhelming: 115 of the 190 votes. The firm position of the legislators, who from the first day of discussion declared their position by tying blue scarves, surprised even the pro-life organizations. The decision goes against the will of the president, Luis Abinader, who has already announced that he will not veto it. Keep reading.
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Latest polls in Peru place López Aliaga in the second round
Lima | Surveys carried out in Peru place the Conservative candidate Rafael López Aliaga, from Renovación Popular, very close to obtaining the second most votes in the presidential elections next Sunday. A survey by the Centro de Investigación Territorial, published by the newspaper Expreso on March 3, shows it as the leader in voting intention, with 13%. No candidate reached that percentage in the last month. If no applicant gets 50% of the vote, a second round run-off will be held with the top two. Keep reading.
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A Justice of the Brazilian Supreme Court declares the prohibition public worship unconstitutional
Brasilia | Kassio Nunes Marques, Justice at the Supreme Federal Court granted a precautionary measure on March 3 that prevents mayors and governors from banning face-to-face religious gatherings. The decision comes a day before the end of the Holy Week due to the wave of restrictions imposed by local authorities on churches and Christian communities on the pretext of stopping the spread of the pandemic. Nunes was appointed to the Court by President Jair Bolsonaro in October last year. Keep reading.
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Finally, if you have any relevant information that you would like us to include in the newsletters or want to share something about the work you are doing in your country for the protection, promotion and defense of fundamental rights and freedoms, feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Diego Hernández
Director of Communication and Development for Iberoamerica
Political Network for Values
diegohernandez@politicalnetworkforvalues.org
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