To All Clergy, Religious, and Faithful in Christ,
Beloved Brethren,
Grace and peace be with you in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Resurrection and the Life.
It is both timely and necessary that the Church of God reaffirms, with clarity and conviction, her unchanging teaching concerning the sanctity of human life. In every age, but especially in our own, the dignity of life has been obscured by the voices of expedience, comfort, and false compassion. Yet the Word of God remains immutable. “Before I formed thee in the womb, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee” (Jeremiah 1:5). Human life is not a possession to be disposed of, but a sacred gift entrusted by the Creator.
From the moment of conception to the final breath of natural death, life bears the imprint of the Divine Image. No human authority, no government, no individual—however powerful or learned—possesses the right to determine the worth of another life. Abortion, euthanasia, and all acts that intentionally destroy innocent life are grave sins against the Creator, Who alone is the Author of life and death. To claim dominion over these sacred boundaries is to usurp what belongs to the Almighty Himself.
The unborn child, the sick, the elderly, the disabled, and the forgotten are not burdens but blessings through whom God speaks to the conscience of the world. The measure of a society’s moral integrity is found not in its wealth or advancement, but in its reverence for those who cannot repay, defend, or exalt themselves. The wilful destruction of the vulnerable is a wound inflicted upon the Body of Christ, in whom every member is necessary, honoured, and beloved.
To those who have participated in such acts or have suffered their consequences, the Church extends not condemnation but the invitation of Christ’s mercy. Repentance restores the fallen and heals the broken. The Lord’s forgiveness is without limit for all who turn to Him in sorrow and faith. Yet mercy cannot be invoked to excuse what remains evil; it must rather move us to conversion and to the defence of life in all its forms.
We call upon all the faithful to bear public and private witness to this truth. Let families teach their children that every human being is a reflection of God’s own beauty. Let the clergy speak courageously in season and out of season. Let physicians, nurses, and caregivers remember their sacred duty to protect life and to comfort the suffering, never to hasten death. Let legislators and leaders act as stewards, not masters, of the human person.
In an age that idolises autonomy, the Holy Church must proclaim once more that freedom without moral truth is not liberty, but bondage to sin. True compassion never destroys; it preserves, nurtures, and accompanies. To love authentically is to stand beside the weak, to defend the innocent, and to bear one another’s burdens in the spirit of Christ.
May the Lord, Who knit us together in our mothers’ wombs and numbers our days with perfect wisdom, renew in His people the reverence due to every human life. May He grant us courage to protect the voiceless, and grace to recognise in every person—whether unborn, frail, or dying—the living image of Himself.
Given this day under my hand and seal, at Nashville, Tennessee, this 9th day of October, in the Year of Our Lord 2025.
+ Mar Mattai