Lenten Campaign 2025
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March 25 marks a quiet miracle: the Annunciation, when a young woman in Nazareth said yes— and life began in her womb. It’s a feast of divine intimacy, but also one that reaches into the streets, as Catholics and others across the world gather to affirm the dignity of life in its most fragile form.
This year, over 500 pro-life associations marched through the heart of Madrid under the banner Sí a la Vida (“Yes to Life”). Their message: that every life, from conception to natural death, is worth defending. The color green swept through Calle Serrano and Plaza de Cibeles, as families, volunteers, and musicians transformed the city into a space of celebration and remembrance.
Though political banners were absent, the convictions were clear. COPE explains how organizers emphasized investment in rare disease research, support for caregivers, and the testimonies of women who had chosen life in difficult circumstances. One mother spoke of refusing abortion despite medical pressure. Her daughter lived only 20 minutes — but in that brief span, she said, “we made a strong defense of life.”
A moment of silence and a symbolic release of balloons honored “the victims of the culture of death.” More than 300 volunteers helped organize the event, which drew participants from across Spain.
Light breaks through
Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral was filled to capacity this third Sunday of Lent. The Day of the Unborn Child — always held near the Annunciation— was marked with a solemn Mass led by Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP, joined by bishops, clergy, and thousands of faithful. A procession to the NSW Parliament followed, in peaceful protest of a bill threatening conscience rights and protections for the unborn.
Cardinal Mykola Bychok CSsR told Catholic Weekly, “If passed, this could mean that doctors and nurses with moral convictions may be forced to choose between their profession and their conscience.”
He mourned the estimated 5.5 million unborn lives lost to abortion in Australia since the 1970s, reflecting on the generations that might have been: “Our nation is missing over 10 million people.”
And yet, hope remained the final word. “Hope is what brings us here,” the cardinal said. “As we celebrate the Jubilee Year 2025, we are pilgrims of hope … called to be the light that breaks through the darkness.”
March 25 is a reminder that God entered the world not in a palace, but in a womb. The Catechism affirms:
“Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception” (CCC 2270).
This truth, held quietly in the mystery of the Incarnation, now echoes through plazas and cathedrals, protests and prayers.
And today we celebrate...