March 25, 2025, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, marks the 30th anniversary of St. Pope John Paul II’s great encyclical Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life). This prophetic work, one of several encyclicals that focus […]
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Pope John Paul II walks down a gravel path in an undated photo by Vatican photographer Arturo Mari. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano)March 25, 2025, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, marks the 30th anniversary of St. Pope John Paul II’s great encyclical Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life).
This prophetic work, one of several encyclicals that focus on the key theme of anthropology, has lost none of its intellectual vigor or deep wisdom. The Pope sought to blunt the rapid growth of the abortion culture that obscures the truth about the sanctity of human life and the dignity of all human beings. It is a culture hostile to God and the order of creation because it presumes that a baby in the womb is a mere possession that can be disposed of for pragmatic reasons.
