VANCOUVER, June 18, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Archbishop of Vancouver has once again held the archdiocese's Pro-life Sunday on Father's Day, recognizing the “wonderful gift of fatherhood” and connecting it to the importance of celebrating and protecting life.
This year Archbishop J. Michael Miller took up the theme of the 2013 National March for Life that called for an end to female gendercide in Canada and around the world. He noted the special role that fathers, “the first and foremost protectors of the family,” have to “safeguard human life from its conception to its natural end.”
The archbishop said the “alarming assault on the life of unborn girls” is of particular concern to the pro-life cause.
He cited the UN's estimate that “the number of 'missing girls' – those conceived but killed before they were born – could be as high as 200 million, six times the population of Canada.”
Archbishop Miller also focused on the issue of the “possible widespread legalization of assisted suicide in Canada,” in this year's letter to the faithful.
“Though Parliament overwhelmingly voted not to change the current law, various forces are working towards introducing euthanasia through our court system,” the archbishop said.
“The consequences of permissive legislation for our vulnerable seniors are dire. We must be prepared to be advocates for our loved ones in hospital and care homes, to ensure that they are being properly taken care of.”
Archbishop Miller concluded by encouraging the faithful to support the diocese's pro-life initiatives by contributing generously to the Pro-life Sunday second collection.
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“These monies will help Pro-Life organizations within the Archdiocese, including crisis pregnancy centres and euthanasia prevention groups, to work towards creating a culture of life in British Columbia and Canada,” he said.
Archbishop Miller is well known for his orthodoxy, and his strong and outspoken pro-life stand on life and family issues. His motto is Veritati Servire, a Latin phrase meaning “To Serve the Truth.”
He is a specialist on the Papacy and on Catholic higher education, having served as the Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, which oversees norms for seminaries, Catholic universities and colleges, and Catholic schools. He served in this position from 2003 until being appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Vancouver in 2007. He assumed pastoral responsibility for the Archdiocese of Vancouver in 2009, following the retirement of Archbishop Raymond Roussin.