GMG. Pope Francis meet the pro life
GMG. This morning the Pope visited the Centro Social da Serafina in Lisbon, meeting various charities, including Ajuda de Berço, member of the Portuguese Federation for Life, member of the One of Us Federation.
Here we can read the speech from Antonio Pinheiro Torres, vice president of Federação Portuguesa
pela Vida (member of the One of Us Federation), on behalf of Ajuda de Berço.
Lisbon, 4th August 2023
Holy Father
We are Ajuda de Berço (Cradle Help) an organization founded 25 years ago. We are a shelter home for children abandoned or that are at social risk.
We are one of the main Life support centers born in the context of the prolife movements and the campaigns in the abortion referendums of 1998 and 2007.
It moved us the words of Mother Teresa of Calcutta when she said: “We will not stop until there is a woman in our cities that say I aborted because I didn’t find any help”.
Until today we already sheltered 452 children that after living with us have found a safe and definitive project for their life’s. For some it has been returning to their original family, for others it has been the adoption by another family or other protection and shelter solutions. Two of them follow us from Heaven.
In our house in Lisbon we have 40 children (with ages from few days to 13 years) living permanently. They live with us 24 hours per day and 365 days a year, served and protected by the persons working in our house.
Holly Father: above all what we want to give testimony is of our gratitude.
First, for your Pontificate. We do not have any other pretention for our life’s that trying to correspond to the love that God has for each one of us. And from the encounter we had with Christ results also the love and gratitude for Peter. For this, thank you Holly Father for your life given to Jesus!
Then, our gratitude to the Church of Lisbon. To our Bishop Manuel Clemente which paternity and friendship supports and moves us. And to the Priests that have helped and accompanied us with their friendship and pastoral zeal.
One gratitude that we extend to the immense social friendship that, along the years, has been generated around Ajuda de Berço.
We are supported by believers of different creeds and man and woman of good will that don’t profess any religion. From different convictions and origins. We are supported by all kinds of persons and institutions. All brothers on taking care of this little ones that have been trusted to us.
Finally, the biggest gratitude: to Jesus and His Mother the Virgin Mary which tenderness and protection we experience every day. How many times we have appealed to Our lady untying of knots!
Pray for us Holly Father: for all of us that in Portugal are engaged on defending life from conception until natural death, for this children that have been entrusted to us so that they find a family that receives them, for us that are in charge of this initiative and carry the respective responsibility, for all the persons working at Ajuda de Berço so they serve these children with a sensitive and available heart, for our volunteers and benefactors.
Thank you, Holy Father!