Since then, for 36 years, in ever-increasing numbers, participants march for three hours along Constitution Avenue to express their protest against abortion.

This year the manifestation held a particular meaning as it took place two days after the official inauguration of the new American President, Barack Hussein Obama, at the White House. Obama himself, during his electoral campaign, did not care to disguise his convictions on supporting abortion and, as soon as he took office, launched his presidential mandate announcing the suppression of the prohibition, established during Bush presidency, of financially supporting pro-abortion international organizations.

The American Congress also has under consideration the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), the most radical pro-abortion legislative project ever proposed in the US.

This would create a “fundamental right” to abortion, that the government would actively have to back by actively supporting pro-abortion activity, suppressing voices opposing abortion, removing conscience objection from doctors and nurses and “de facto” declaring the end of catholic clinics and hospitals.

There is a great movement against this project in the US. Obama’s election has deepened the ideological polarization in the US where two opposite fronts are more clearly defined: defense of Life and culture of Death.

“Mr. Obama — wrote pro-lifers on a letter sent before the new President took office — we hear about genocide in far away lands, and America is called to stop that evil. Certainly, America wants to stop genocide. Outside and inside its borders.”

It is estimated that 50 million abortions have been performed since the Roe vs. Wade decision. One million three hundred thousand just last year.

Various surveys, including a very thorough one commissioned by the Knights of Columbus, show that a great percentage of the American population thinks it is better to restrict abortion legislation. (”L’Osservatore Romano”, 22 January 2009)

The international stance on this subject was manifested this past January 22, with the vast participation of groups from many corners of the world. Italy was present with a delegation from the Lepanto Foundation, headed by Prof. Roberto de Mattei.

Present too were the Italian group “Voglio Vivere” and the French “Droit de Naitre.”

Most impressive was the large number of young participants and the strong opposition to abortion, unknown to the European pro-life movement. There were many Bishops and religious from diverse orders and congregations. Preceded by the large banners of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property, and standing out among the religious images accompanying the marchers, was the statue of Our Lady of Fatima, that miraculously shed tears in New Orleans.

The Rector of the European University of Rome, Fr. Paolo Scarafoni LC, the Secretary of the EFA, Avi Davis, and the President of the LF, Prof. Roberto de Mattei, opened the proceedings by highlighting both the gravity of the crisis Europe is facing, as well as the many grounds for hope. As Fr. Scarafoni stated, “Europe will not succumb because its history bears a fathomless weight.”

Marcello Pera, former President of the Italian Senate, conducted the introductory presentation. According to Pera, Europe faces three threats to which correspond as many challenges. “The first is the external one of Islamic terrorism; the second is the domestic one of integration, and the third is the internal one of valuing our tradition.” Pera continues, “Europe’s response to fundamentalism is pacifism; to integration, multiculturalism; and, it renounces its Christian roots in the name of secularism. And, to this, it adds a guilt syndrome with respect to our past.”

Pera then dwelt on the crisis of liberalism and democracy. “Liberalism is put into crisis by a relativist and egalitarian concept of democracy that puts every cultural on the same level, thereby calling into question non-negotiable principles and rights, hence fundamental liberties. In turn, democracy is threatened by pressure groups, almost always in the minority and backed by propaganda in the media, that undermine the will of the legislative majorities and the legislatures. The courts, that oftentimes put themselves at odds with the legislative system, perform an analogous work.”

Bat Ye’or, the best-known dhimmitude scholar and Baroness Caroline Cox, of the English House of Lords, also took part in Senator Pera’s presentation. According to Bat Ye’or, “the sense of guilt insinuated by the cultural Jihad must be overcome and young people must be helped to counteract this mentality.” She continued that “alongside the violent and terrorist Jihad there is also a soft Jihad: a cultural war based on propaganda and corruption. This one is favored by the collusion of the anti-American European Left. Its purpose is to eradicate Europe’s Judeo-Christian culture so as to implant Islam. They interpret the defense of our values as an offense.”

This aspect was further elaborated on by Caroline Cox who pointed to the “responsibility of the school and national education that form young people to psychologically submit to Islam, oftentimes leading to conversion.” However, at the institutional level, “the judiciary allows the application of the Sharia while the legislator punishes those who offend Islam with excessive harshness. Those who oppose this state of affairs are subject to intimidation and accused of Islamophobia.”

The subsequent panel discussion on the future of the Atlantic Alliance was moderated by Rafael L. Bardají, Spanish geopolitical expert and member of the Foundation for Social Analysis and Studies. Professors Massimo de Leonardis, Angelo Maria Petroni, Daniel Pipes and Florentino Porteso spoke. Professor Petroni dwelt on the international situation with particular regard to the Eastern confines of Europe. Professor de Leonardis stressed that “Europe has become post-Christian, post-nationalist and pacifist and has fallen into pathological self-hate. At the same time, it is unable to escape the euphoric conciliatory attitudes of the post-89 years.”

Senator Alfredo Mantovano and the journalists Oscar Elia Manu, Douglas Murray, Emmanuelle Ottolenghi and Melanie Phillips addressed internal threats. These are particularly represented by the impact of cultural and moral relativism on the European identity.

Melanie Phillips, well-known for her book “Londonistan”, pointed out the disproportionate tolerance “towards the sharia and polygamy which, as a result of excessive manipulation by the media, cannot be criticized in England.”

Sen. Alfredo Mantovano reminded the audience that “integration is a concept that is quite different from multiculturalism and assimilation. It is impossible to assert that all religions are equal: I believe that magistrates and politicians should have a better knowledge of Islam prior to unhinging the ambiguities that surround it.”

Dr. Salvatore Rebecchini moderated the next panel discussion, where Philippe Karsenty, David Littman and Flemming Rose took the floor to discuss the influence of the media, NGOs and the UN in the formation of European values and policies.

Senator Giuseppe Valditara moderated the round table that concluded the conference. He stressed the great historical importance of antique Roman civilization which “valued the centrality and dignity of the person and family, and thus paved the way for Christianity.”

During the roundtable, Rev. Hans Stückelberg, Protestant pastor, criticized the enlightenment roots of the present identity crisis and Prof. Giorgio Israel addressed yet another major European cultural crisis: education. He noted, “our school is afflicted by technicality and pragmatism. And, as if it were not enough, the State is asked to provide the ethical formation of the young which should be expected from the family; that is what is now happening in Spain.”

At the end of the conference Professor de Mattei proposed Hope as the cornerstone of the European renaissance.

Prof. de Mattei stated: “The attitude of Europeans towards Islam reminds one of the attitude the West had towards communism in the 20th century. Soviet Russia threatened the world, yet anticommunism was considered a sin worse than communism.”

If yesterday progressive optimism was at the root of this attitude, today it is pessimism, fear of the future and ourselves. However, the ideological fundamentals of this psychological process remain the same: relativism and an evolutionist dialectic that dissolve all truth and value.

Prof. de Mattei concluded “if there is certainty of values, there is hope for the future. Christian hope in Jesus Christ, that God rises and redeems. It is also the hope and, even more so, the belief in the renaissance of Europe. That which plagues Europe is a deep slumber, a lethargy, maybe even a provoked anesthesia; but sleep is not death. That is why se believe in the reawakening of Europe.”

Washington, Sunday, January 27th 2008 (ZENIT.org). – An Italian delegation joined marchers at the annual March for Life, held on Tuesday, January 22nd, in Washington, D.C. (United States).

Despite the harsh weather, the annual gathering of pro-life advocates brought together over 200,000 people who marched along Constitution Avenue, between the National Mall and the U.S. Supreme Court, where the March for Life was born thirty-five years ago on January 22nd, 1973.

On that day, the US Supreme Court pronounced its ruling on Roe v. Wade, thereby legalizing abortion in the United States. Since then, this judgment has condemned 48 million victims. Every day, 3000 children become fatalities of the voluntary interruption of pregnancy.

Nelly Gray, founder of the March, reminds us that the event is intentionally held on a weekday, in the midst of Washington, D.C.’s institutions of power, so as to cry out loud and clear to the “white collars” of all branches of government– legislative, executive and judicial—that abortion is an intolerable infamy

Italy was represented at the demonstration by the group “Voglio Vivere” (I Want to Live), as well as by a large delegation from the Lepanto Foundation, led by its president, Professor Roberto de Mattei.

When interviewed by Zenit, Professor de Mattei stated, “in 1973, on the wake of feminism and the sexual revolution of ‘68, abortion was deemed an irreversible ‘civil victory’ whereas, today, antiabortion sentiment continues to grow in United States.”

The Lepanto Foundation president pointed out that, “for a growing number of young people abortion is always and in every case evil.” In fact, according to a 2003 Gallup-Newsweek poll, one out of every 3 teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 believed that abortion must be considered illegal in all circumstances; 72% considered it “morally wrong”. Washington Times columnist Steve Chapman summed up this trend in his January 23rd column: “The prevailing view used to be: Abortion may be evil, but it’s necessary. Increasingly, the sentiment is: Abortion may be necessary, but it’s evil.”

The battle cry of the March for Life, “No Exception, No Compromise”, was proclaimed by individuals, families, groups, lay people and religious coming from all over the United States, as well as abroad, such as the French group led by European Deputy Bernard Antony and the association Droit de Naître (Right to be Born).

The March for Life was preceded by three days of pro-life events and ceremonies where participants could exchange information and share their experiences. Among the outstanding services were a grand Mass celebrated in the Sanctuary of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception by Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia and a Eucharist celebrated according to the Ancient Roman Rite in the standing-room-only Church of Saint Mary, by Abbott Trauchessec, priest of the Institute of Christ the King, .

Statements prepared by Pope Benedict XVI and President George W. Bush were presented to the marchers.
Professor de Mattei noted that the ” distinct message that the March for Life delivers is that is it not possible for society to habituate itself to the slaughter of the innocent. Abortion is a social wound that does not heal and cannot be regarded as a “choice”, or an individual problem of conscience limited to the mother and the physician.

“The social consequences of this crime are immense and they dictate a public reaction”, emphasized the Lepanto Foundation president.

The history professor noted that “there exists a common bond between those who rallied on St. Peter’s Square in Rome on January 20th to demonstrate their solidarity with Benedict XVI as secularists try to silence him, and those who marched in the heart of Washington on January 22nd in order to speak on behalf of the children silenced by abortion.”
“In both cases,” stressed de Mattei, “people from all walks of life and, above all, young people, refused to be isolated and marginalized and, instead, descended upon the plaza to defend liberty and the moral, natural and Christian order.”

The volume has been reviewed by several newspapers and was presented in Florence, on June 10, at the Ghirlandaio Room in the Ognissanti Convent; then on June 18th, in Rome, at the Lepanto Foundation headquarters; at Viareggio and Forte dei Marmi on July 16th; and, between September and December, it shall be presented in Naples, Verona, Bologna, Torino and Leghorn..
The volume was also given to a large part of the Italian Parliament, as well as to all new Italian deputies elected to the European Parliament.  English and French translations so that all members of the European Parliament can read it.

The conference, held at the prestigious Cosmos Club, with the support of the “Committee for Western Civilization”, was attended by speakers from various countries: Prof. Roberto de Mattei (Italy), European University of Rome, president of the Lepanto Foundation; John O’Sullivan (UK) director of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty in Prague, as well as and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington; Robert Schadler (US), chairman of the Committee for Western Civilization in Washington; Abbot Michael John Zielinski (US) Vice President of the Pontifical Commission for Cultural Heritage of the Church and the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology; and, Dr. Mario Navarro da Costa (US), director of Tradition Family and Property in Washington, who moderated the meeting.

Among those attending: diplomats, journalists (including Georgie Ann Geyer, who wrote a piece for the April 13 edition of the “Washington Times”), several think-tank representatives, Pentagon analysts, and H.E.Msgr. Pietro Sambi, Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See to the United States, who expressed deep satisfaction with the initiative. H.E., Mary Ann Glendon, US Ambassador to the Holy See also sent a message of encouragement.

Robert Schadler, in his presentation “Besides being Catholic: the Pope is also catholic” affirmed: “We need voices that have moral roots. Haw many we had and how few we have today! Even the Nobel prize-winners, you find that few resonate in the world. What theologian can we look to, to find any international vision?” The only public figure that can provide an international point of reference is Benedict XVI. Schadler continued, “the pope, when he speaks, gives the rest of the world a say in a way that we should and must listen to him. A superpower for the world needs a moral vision in its new and somewhat confused role”.

John O’Sullivan, in his talk “Is the Pope still a Temporal Power” reminded the audience of Benedict XVI Regensburg speech, noting that the Pope “is only asking Islam to recognize, as Christianity has done, that religion cannot be spread with force. This… can only be done by a pope. He speaks with authority in combining faith with reason. He is ideally placed to do this”.

Speaking on “Rome: the Foundation of Western Civilization”, Prof. de Mattei asserted: “In a world which claims that globalization is necessary, but which is collapsing more and more into chaos due to the absence of a supreme spiritual and moral authority and of a centre of order and unity, the Roman Church offers its message of strength to mankind. It has possessed a gravitational centre right from the very beginning of its existence, a unity of Magisterium and an authority of government which constitute the unifying principle behind the life of its community. It is the custodian of the most deep-rooted values of Western civilization”. In this sense, “the prefix “Roman” does not limit to a time and to an historical place the vocation of the Church, but, on the contrary, it extends it and defines the Church as bearer of a message of supernatural salvation which cannot be separated from its appeal to universal moral law”.

During his contribution, entitled “Turning towards the Lord”, Abbott Zielinski emphasized: “The life of Church is its mission ad gentes, and the Holy Father is coming to the United States both as pastor and father to teach the way to truth that gives eternal life. Here in our country he will pray, celebrate the mysteries of the Catholic Faith, he will also dialogue and teach the Good News to all. This pontificate of spiritual reform is clearly the fruit of the priority of Christ and turning towards the Lord. I would even go so far as to say that the Holy Father is moving the Church toward a post-liberal Catholicism. He is not only aware, but he also embodies the radical newness of Jesus Christ. His Magisterium is an extended meditation and teaching on the great Christological hymn in Colossians: ‛All things were created in him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together’ (Col 1:16-17)”