MASS GOERS WILL be greeted with the Catholic Church’s new anti-abortion campaign across the country tomorrow.

This Sunday has been designated the ‘Day for Life’ which is promoting “respect for human life from the moment of conception”, and it kicks off a whole month of prayer around the ‘Choose Life’ theme.

Homily notes, pastoral messages, prayers and parish newsletter notices have been provided to each of the 1,360 parishes around the country.

The pastoral message advises parishioners that:

The Government does not have to provide for abortion in Ireland to comply with the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights.

Many women who have had abortions speak of their deep regret, and research also confirms the harm that abortion can cause women.

It also details the development of a baby in the womb and invites people to pray, contact their public representatives to ask them to set out their position on abortion, and to contact the media expressing their views.

The homily notes for priests advise that:

“Our Government could chose to protect the life of the unborn baby in the womb, while upholding the equal right to life of the mother, by introducing laws or a Constitutional amendment that would set aside the Supreme Court ruling in the ‘X-case’, which allowed for abortion in a potentially wide range of circumstances”.

At a general meeting of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference in September those present “expressed concern about the widespread misinformation about the implications of the December 2010 judgement of the European Court of Human Rights A,B & C vs Ireland”.

In August Cardinal Seán Brady said that the church could pursue a full political campaign and begin lobbying public representatives if an expert group on abortion recommended legalising the practice. Brady also called for an abortion referendum and said that the ruling in the X Case was ‘flawed’.

The Supreme Court ruled in the X Case that the constitution permits abortion in circumstances where the life of the mother is at risk, including the risk of suicide.