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Bishop David L. RickenDiocese of Green Bay / Vimeo

GREEN BAY, Wisconsin, October 23, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Referring to the number of 61 million babies killed in abortion in the United States since 1973, Bishop David L. Ricken said, “Their blood cries out for justice. Let it not continue.”

In his message on October 18, 2020, the bishop of Green Bay, Wisconsin, reminded the faithful of the sanctity of life and the need to create a culture of life.

As part of the series of pro-life rosaries with the bishops of Wisconsin leading up to the presidential election, Bishop Ricken encouraged Catholic voters to vote for life because it is “an issue of humanity,” not just a Catholic issue.

“Life begins at conception … Every person conceived is created by God and has a right to be born and to live, because every life is sacred,” he said.

After asking why the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) made the right to life the preeminent priority of the Catholic Church in the United States, Ricken explained, “The answer is really very simple: because every life is sacred.”

“Did you know that it’s 61 million now? 61 million innocent lives have been taken in the womb in the United States since 1973, when the Roe v. Wade decision in the Supreme Court sanctioned and legalized abortion,” he added.

Ricken explained further, “The right to be born and the right to live is the most fundamental and foundational human right. That right is the sine qua non, which is Latin for ‘without which’ there are no other rights. Without this right, there is no right, no other right. And no other right applies.”

He then pointed to the “signs of hope” and the “great strides [we have made] in honoring the dignity of our unborn brothers and sisters as well as providing for the care of their mothers.” He identified the good that ultrasounds and the work of hundreds of pregnancy centers and clinics have been able to accomplish throughout the U.S.

Moreover, Ricken affirmed the ministries working to help women find healing from their abortions and in turn help other women make the decision to choose life. “[Those women] don’t want them to be trapped in that cycle of death,” he said.

“We can have hope that there is a new generation now. A young generation that calls itself the pro-life generation, which is speaking boldly in defense of all life and working with great zeal to change the law as we know it, as well as to care for those in need,” declared Ricken.

Ricken affirmed the good work that pro-life advocates are already doing, but he also encouraged people to mobilize for mission. He said, “There is still much to do … As the protection and care for life increases, your prayers and your cooperation with the Holy Spirit will be needed even more.”

“More and more people are going to wake up to what abortion really is and what it does. And, the secrets will be hidden no more. We will need to be there for people when they realize that has been in their life,” Ricken said.

He advised the faithful that they will need to support women and families undergoing crises even more and help with adoption services. “We will need to put our words and prayers into action in a multitude of tangible ways,” he noted.

Ricken also reminded Catholics that even though building a culture of life is a huge and difficult task, “God’s love is up to it.”

For this reason, he encouraged them to invoke the powerful intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Holy Innocents to help them build a culture of life. He also thanked people who have been involved with the pro-life movement, specifically 40 Days for Life, an international 40-day campaign that aims to end abortion locally through prayer and fasting.

“You, too, are having a lasting impact for life,” he said.

Not only did Bishop Ricken encourage people to build a culture of life, he also encouraged them to take action. He urged anyone who has experienced or been involved with an abortion in some way to repent, go to confession, and embrace Jesus’ mercy.

Finally, he enjoined all Catholics to elect pro-life candidates to public office. “[V]ote for life … Every child has a right to be born and a right to live,” he said emphatically.

“As a nation, let’s protect that right once again. Brothers and sisters, the insanity must stop. Bloodshed and destruction of the body and soul of these the most innocent of human beings, innocent children in the womb and children just outside the womb. That must stop,” he declared.

In closing, Bishop Ricken declared that the unborn child deserves to be protected because it is the most vulnerable life, and has rights, too. He also observed abortion has been the cause of many other problems in the U.S., and that the nation needs to heal from this sin.