The newly founded John Paul II Academy on Human Life and the Family (JAHLF), which is headed by Professor Josef Seifert and which has other prominent Catholics such as Professor Roberto de Mattei and John-Henry Westen on its Boards, is hosting a conference on 21 May in Rome. The title of the conference is “Human Life, the Family, and the Splendor of Truth: Gifts of God – Humanae Vitae 50 – Veritatis Splendor 25,” and it will take place at the Il Cantico Hotel (Via del Cottolengo 50) in Rome. For those readers who would like to attend, here is the full link to the program.

The JAHLF group has recently made a statement in defense of Alfie’s right to life and his parents’ right to chose the best health care for him.

Among other prominent Board members or members of Jahlf, there can be found such strong pro-life activists and defenders of the Catholic faith as Professor Claudio Pierantoni, Dr. Paul A. Byrne, MD, Thomas Ward, MD, Philippe Schepens, MD, Professor Carlos Casanova, Professor Luke Gormally, Christine de Marcellus Vollmer, Mercedes Arzú Wilson, Pedro Luis Llera, school director, Virginia Coda Nunziante, Judie Brown, Dame Colleen Bayer, John Bruchalski, MD, Anca Maria Cernea, MD, Richard Fitzgibbons, MD, Professor Stéphane Mercier, Steven W. Mosher, Claude Edward Newbury, MD, Dr. Gerard van den Aardweg, Duke Paul von Oldenburg, Michael Hichborn, and Maria Madise.

JAHLF had been founded last year in response to the grave papal re-vamping of the Pontifical Academy for Life, as well as of the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family.

For our readers’ possible interest, we herewith present the schedule of this upcoming conference which is aimed at preserving and defending perennial moral truths as they have been always taught by the Catholic Church and as they have now come under assault. You can also download a PDF of the program here.

Program:

OPENING

9:15 Introduction by Josef Seifert

9:30 Archbishop em. Mgr. Luigi Negri

“Humanae Vitae and Veritatis Splendor: Imperative Instruction for the Church and the World Now”

I. FOUNDATIONS

10:00 Roberto de Mattei

“Humanae Vitae and Veritatis Splendor, rooted in the Perennial Magisterium of the Catholic Church”

10:30 Coffee break

11:00 Carlos Casanova

“Humanae Vitae and Veritatis Splendor as Expositions of ‘Natural Law’ – contrasted with their Irrational Rejection”

11:30 Gerard van den Aardweg

“The ‘normalization’ of homosexuality and Humanae Vitae”

12:00 Discussion

12:30 Lunch break

II. CONTRACEPTION AND THE ATTACK ON HUMANITY

14:30 John-Henry Westen

“The Aftermath of rejecting God’s Command to Be Fruitful and Multiply”

15:00 Mercedes Wilson

“Natural, scientific and highly effective treatment for infertility”

15:30 Hugh Owen

“The attack on the Church teaching on Creation as attack on Human Dignity”

16:00 Ettore Gotti Tedeschi

“The Rejection of Life: a Demographic Catastrophe for mankind”

16:30 Discussion

III. HUMANAE VITAE AND VERITATIS SPLENDOR: HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

17:00 Young couples bear witness to the Splendour of Truth, Love, and Life.

14:30 “The gift of Life for us”

Stanisław and Katarina Kobus, Poland

Sarah Ward, England

Maria and Thomas Wolter, USA/Austria

Michael Hichborn, USA

17:40 Doyen Nguyen

“The Attainment of the True Joy of Love by Way of the Splendour of Truth”

VI. THE PERENNIAL TRUTH OF HUMANAE VITAE AND VERITATIS SPLENDOR

18:10 Josef Seifert, President of the Jahlf Academy “The cornerstone of true love and happiness: natural law and the truth about good and intrinsically evil acts”

18:45 General discussion CONCLUDING BANQUET

20:00 Concluding Banquet “The Founding of John Paul II Academy for Human Life and Family and future plans