As a new year begins, we stand at a decisive moment. The challenges facing life, marriage, family, and freedom are not abstract or distant; they are shaping laws, institutions, and everyday decisions that affect the most vulnerable among us.
This year, we cannot be complacent. We must proclaim the Gospel of Life with love, conviction, truth and mercy. It is a year for courage and commitment.
In his recent address to the Diplomatic Corps, Pope Leo XIV spoke with striking honesty about the condition of our culture and the growing threats to human dignity. His words illuminate both the urgency of our mission and the hope that must guide our work.
Language must express truth
Pope Leo warned of the danger of language being hollowed out, stripped of meaning, and used as a tool for manipulation rather than understanding:
“Today, the meaning of words is ever more fluid, and the concepts they represent are increasingly ambiguous. Language is no longer the preferred means by which human beings come to know and encounter one another. Moreover, in the contortions of semantic ambiguity, language is becoming more and more a weapon with which to deceive, or to strike and offend opponents. We need words once again to express distinct and clear realities unequivocally.”
When words lose their meaning and are used to sanitise ugly and evil ideas and actions, lives are lost.
“He who controls the language controls the masses,” Saul Alinsky famously wrote in Rules for Radicals.
At Family Life International, we exist to speak clearly about what must never be blurred: the dignity of every human person, the sacredness of life from conception to natural death, and the irreplaceable role of the family founded on the indissoluble union of one man and one woman. It is essential that we use language that speaks truth and doesn’t acquiesce to the euphemisms of the day. We do not do this to win arguments, but to serve people, especially those who are most vulnerable.
Euphemisms are dangerous. They hide the truth and shut down people’s ability to articulate reasoned arguments that do not fit the ideological narrative of the moment. Pope Leo lamented this “weakening of language” that proponents often invoke as “freedom of expression.”
“It is painful to see how, especially in the West,” he said, “the space for genuine freedom of expression is rapidly shrinking.”
“At the same time, a new Orwellian-style language is developing which, in an attempt to be increasingly inclusive, ends up excluding those who do not conform to the ideologies that are fueling it.”
Freedom of Conscience and Religion Under Pressure
Pope Leo’s address also confronts a troubling reality: fundamental freedoms are increasingly being stripped away, even in societies that claim to be based on human rights. The United Kingdom is one such country implementing practices, little by little, that uncannily resemble George Orwell’s fictional tome, “1984”.
“[C]onscientious objection allows individuals to refuse legal or professional obligations that conflict with moral, ethical or religious principles deeply rooted in their personal lives,” the Pontiff explained.
“This may be the refusal of military service in the name of non-violence, or the refusal on the part of doctors and healthcare professionals to engage in practices such as abortion or euthanasia. Conscientious objection is not rebellion, but an act of fidelity to oneself.”
He warns that religious freedom is being threatened, viewed as a “privilege” rather than a “fundamental human right.” Christians across the world face persecution, and even in Western nations, a more “subtle form of religious discrimination” is emerging when believers “defend the dignity of the weakest,” including preborn children, as well as uphold the family, or speak moral truth in public life.
For us, this is not theoretical. It affects medical staff, educators, families, churches, and organisations seeking simply to live and act according to what we know to be true and hold dear to our hearts.
Life and Family at the Heart of the Crisis
At the centre of the Holy Father’s message is a powerful reaffirmation of the family and the sanctity of life. He reminds us that the family is the place where we first “learn to love and foster the capacity to serve life, thus contributing to the development of society and the Church’s mission.”
He identifies two profound challenges: the “marginalisation” of the family in public policy, and the “growing and painful reality of fragile, broken and suffering families.”
With refreshing candidness, he stated:
“The vocation to love and to life, which manifests itself in an important way in the exclusive and indissoluble union between a woman and a man, implies a fundamental ethical imperative for enabling families to welcome and fully care for unborn life. This is increasingly a priority, especially in those countries that are experiencing a dramatic decline in birth rates. Life, in fact, is a priceless gift that develops within a committed relationship based on mutual self-giving and service.”
This truth lies at the heart of everything we do. Whether supporting mothers and families in their greatest hour of need, defending preborn children, or promoting and celebrating marriage and the family, our mission is rooted in the conviction that every life is a precious gift and that the family is society’s first and most vital community.
Pope Leo also speaks plainly about practices that undermine human dignity, including abortion, surrogacy, and euthanasia, stating that “we categorically reject any practice that denies or exploits the origin of life and its development.”
He calls on governments and civil society to invest not in the suppression of life, but in concrete support for mothers, families, the sick, and the vulnerable. “The primary objective must remain the protection of every unborn child and the effective and concrete support of every woman so that she is able to welcome life.”
In regard to the growing problem of surrogacy throughout the world, the Holy Father highlighted how both child and mother are violated by the practice.
“By transforming gestation into a negotiable service, this violates the dignity both of the child, who is reduced to a “product,” and of the mother, exploiting her body and the generative process, and distorting the original relational calling of the family.”
End-of-life issues must also be considered and addressed.
“Civil society and States also have a responsibility to respond concretely to situations of vulnerability, offering solutions to human suffering, such as palliative care, and promoting policies of authentic solidarity, rather than encouraging deceptive forms of compassion such as euthanasia.”
None of this is ideology. Rather, it is a culture that embraces truth and leads to authentic human flourishing.
Why This Moment Matters
The Holy Father offers a sobering diagnosis of the world in this present moment.
“[T]he right to life constitutes the indispensable foundation of every other human right. A society is healthy and truly progresses only when it safeguards the sanctity of human life and works actively to promote it.”
When rights are disconnected from reality, nature, and truth, they lose their moral foundation. And when the right to life is weakened, every other right becomes fragile.
This is why our work cannot be postponed or diluted. Family Life International exists not only to respond to immediate needs but to defend the very foundations of a just society.
Our Response: Prayer, Education, and Service
In light of these challenges, our mission for the year ahead is both clear and full of hope.
Prayer remains the foundation of everything we do. Restoring a culture o life and a civilization of love begins in the transformation of our own hearts. We invite you to pray
- for families,
- for mothers and their preborn children,
- for those facing pressure to abandon their conscience,
- for those tempted to end their life by assisted suicide or euthanasia,
- for those tempted to submit to illicit reproductive technologies or surrogacy,
- for those tempted to contracept or abort their children,
- for those who educate our children, that they may only teach truth,
- and for a renewed culture of life.
Education forms minds and strengthens our witness. Through talks, resources, and events, we seek to help people understand not only what the Church teaches about life and family, but why it matters for authentic human flourishing.
Service gives truth a human face. We are committed to walking with pregnant mothers in their greatest hour of need, supporting families once the baby is born, and offering real alternatives rooted in compassion, dignity, and love. We are also committed to advocating for those facing the end of life and for parents to be respected as the first educators of their children.
This is not someone else’s mission. It is our mission. Together we can make a difference, one heart at a time.
Stand With Us This Year
Throughout the coming year, we will gather to pray, to learn, and to act. Our events are not simply dates on a calendar; they are moments of formation, encouragement, and collective witness.
We invite you to mark these dates, bring along friends, family, and colleagues, and be part of a community committed to advocating for life and family.
Do not lose heart
Pope Leo reminds us that peace and renewal are difficult; they are possible when built on humility, truth, and courage. Even in the face of cultural confusion and growing opposition, we must never lose heart. The Gospel of Life is not outdated. It is urgently needed.
Life, faith and the family are great goods and precious gifts worth defending until it hurts. Like lights that shine brightly in the darkest night, let us boldly proclaim these truths and be willing to serve right where God has placed us. Our perseverance is essential.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
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