Building a Culture of Life

Resolution on Building a Culture of Life adopted by the 127th Supreme Convention on Aug. 6, 2009.

WHEREAS, in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae, Pope John Paul II called upon Catholics to become the “people of life and a people for life” to dedicate themselves to building a new culture of life; and

WHEREAS, contemporary threats to protecting human life from conception to natural death are the result of attitudes toward human life that have developed over many decades; and

WHEREAS, restoring a common respect for the sanctity of human life and the dignity of every human person will require much more than laws that ban or limit abortion, embryonic stem-cell research, euthanasia and similar threats against human life; and

WHEREAS, an effort to change the hearts and minds of millions of people will be much more demanding than enacting individual pieces of legislation; and

WHEREAS, the Culture of Life Fund established at our 126th annual meeting provides the foundation for pursuing a much larger goal of moving public opinion toward respecting the dignity of the human person and the fundamental right to life;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we commit ourselves to a long-term goal of building the culture of life that Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have so strongly urged, and regard the establishment of the Knights of Columbus Culture of Life Fund as a significant step toward this goal; and

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Fund will be supported by an annual assessment of $2 per member; that the Fund will be administered by the Board of Directors at its discretion; and that we encourage every member to make such additional voluntary contributions to the Fund as his personal resources may permit.