The Secretary of State for the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, has sent Archbishop John Sherrington, Lead Bishop for Life Issues, a message from Pope Leo XIV to express the Holy Father’s prayerful good wishes to all celebrating Day for Life on Sunday 21 June 2026.
The Holy Father, His Eminence writes, “was pleased to learn of the theme chosen for this year, focused on the wonder of the full humanity of the child in the womb, as well as of your efforts to support mothers and fathers who have suffered the loss of an infant.”
Pope Leo, in a special way, offered his prayers for parents grieving after the tragedy of the death of a child.
“His Holiness prays that all parents grieving the loss of a child, especially an infant, may find comfort and peace in the knowledge of God’s love for them and for their child, “for to him all of them are alive” (Luke 20:38),” writes Cardinal Parolin. “It is likewise his hope that these parents find the support they need in the Church community and especially in a life nourished by prayer and by the Sacraments.”
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV sends prayerful good wishes to those participating in the 2026 Day for Life to be celebrated by the Bishops’ Conferences of England and Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.
His Holiness was pleased to learn of the theme chosen for this year, focused on the wonder of the full humanity of the child in the womb, as well as of your efforts to support mothers and fathers who have suffered the loss of an infant. Indeed, as he recently reminded us in the Encyclical Magnifica humanitas, from the very moment of conception every human being is endowed with an infinite dignity “simply by virtue of existing, of having been willed, created and loved by God” (No 52). This divine love fills the life of every person with meaning, and, far from ending with death, invites us to a new fullness in eternity.
His Holiness prays that all parents grieving the loss of a child, especially an infant, may find comfort and peace in the knowledge of God’s love for them and for their child, “for to him all of them are alive” (Lk 20:38). It is likewise his hope that these parents find the support they need in the Church community and especially in a life nourished by prayer and by the Sacraments.
In thanking you for your continued commitment to bear witness to the marvellous gift of life in all its grandeur and inherent dignity, the Holy Father assures all taking part of his prayerful closeness and cordially imparts his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of comfort, strength and peace in Christ.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Secretary of State
Day for Life is the day in the Church’s year dedicated to raising awareness about the meaning and value of human life at every stage and in every condition. This year’s theme is The Wonder of the Child in the Womb.
There is a section on the Bishops’ Conference website with resources to help parishes and Catholics celebrate Day for Life. You can donate to support the Church’s pro-life work by way of the second collection on Sunday, 21 June. Alternatively, you can make a secure donation here.
