ROME, May 17, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) — Catholics from more than 30 countries descended upon the historic Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome the past two days for the highly anticipated sixth annual Rome Life Forum, hosted by Voice of the Family.
Capped with a talk delivered by His Eminence Cardinal Raymond Burke on the duties of Catholics to oppose “totalitarian” one-world government and large-scale Muslim immigration, the gathering featured lectures by some of the world’s top pro-life, pro-family Catholic clergy and laity.
Four cardinals in total, one by pre-recorded video, spoke to attendees, many of whom were experienced journalists, well known conservative Catholic commentators, and lifelong activists in the fight against abortion. LifeSite livestreamed the event and provided up-to-the-second updates on its Catholic Twitter account @LSNCatholic.
Both days began with well-attended morning masses at the university’s gorgeous Church of Sts. Dominic and Sixtus. The praying of the Veni Creator Spiritus (“Come Holy Spirit”) and Salve Regina (“Hail Holy Queen”) occurred in the conference hall as well. Many who attended the gathering told LifeSite they would be participating in the 2019 Rome March for Life, which will be held Saturday, May 18.
A particularly poignant moment occurred when a frail-looking Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, one of the signatories of the dubia, arrived Friday afternoon as Cardinal Willem Eijk of the Netherlands was leading conference goers in the rosary. Members of the press corps swarmed to take photos as Brandmüller, Eijk, and Burke seated themselves in the front row. Applause broke out on several occasions during the cardinals’ individual remarks.
The theme for this year’s conference was “City of God vs. City of Man — Global One World Order vs. Christendom.” It was co-sponsored by Associazione Famiglia Domani (Italy), Family Life International New Zealand, LifeSiteNews, Population Research Institute, and the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (U.K.).
Below is a list of the speakers at this year’s Rome Life Forum. Click on the links to read LifeSite’s report about each of them. Presenters are listed in the order of their appearance at the conference.
Physician-trained cardinal: Hormones, surgery won’t help transgender people
John-Henry Westen (LifeSiteNews, Canada): Finding hope in the midst of the revolution
The Rev. Fr. Kevin O'Reilly, O.P. (Angelicum, Italy): Sacrificate sacrificium iustitiae: the transformation wrought by the cross of Christ
Dr. Alan Fimister (UK/USA): No abiding city — the challenge of St Augustine
His Eminence Walter Cardinal Brandmüller: Prehistory of Humanae Vitae
Cdl. Burke: It’s ‘responsible’ for Christian nations to resist ‘large-scale Muslim immigration’