One of the rich fruits from the pro-life conference in Owerri was the communiqué released by Most Rev. Anthony J. V. Obinna (Archbishop of Owerri ) and co-signed by Rev. Fr. Justin Okoro​ (Chaplain Pro-life Owerri) and Obianuju Ekeocha (Culture of Life Africa) .

This document , entitled “United in God for Life” – succinctly captures and expresses all the facets of the theme of the conference “Protecting Human Life from Conception to Natural Death”.

Culture of Life Africa is hereby glad to share this communiqué with the hope that any person of good will who reads it will want to share it especially with people in parts of the world where the personhood of the baby in the womb is being vehemently denied or moral decadence is being propagated or sexual perversion is being promoted or human dignity is being threatened .
Please share this widely as a beacon of hope that indeed it is possible for peoples , communities and cultures to gather and resolve unanimously to protect human life from conception to natural death.

UNITED IN GOD FOR LIFE

A Declaration issued at the end of the Pro-life Conference/ Rally at the Obiri Odenigbo, Villa Assumpta, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria,
June 3rd – 4th, 2013.

As our society is experiencing the dangerous encroachment of the culture of death from without and within, the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri continues its Pro-life Mission by organizing a two-day Pro-life Conference with the theme:“Protecting Human Life from Conception to Natural Death.” Pro-lifers from Nigeria, Europe and America participated in the Conference and Rally. The predominant evils of same-sex union,pornography, abortion, contraception, euthanasia, baby factory, anti-life bills and laws and the negative influence of social networks were the major concerns of this conference. The destructive effects of these moral ills are quite obvious in the structural decay of families in Europe and America which have led to the systematic decline of their economy and social order. These notorious international organizations – International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Marie Stops International (MSI), Gates Foundation, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and many more, are serving as platforms for the spread of these anti-life practices.

From insights generated from the conference we declare as follows:

Human Life begins at conception and as such must be protected till natural death. Every conceived child is formed and perfected in the image and likeness of God.

All legislations for abortion, which is the intentional killing of innocent babies in the womb, should be denounced as evil and abrogated. We must remain resolved in our efforts to ensure that abortion is never legalized in our society.

Artificial contraception is morally unacceptable and harmful to the health of women and marriage stability. Hence, the Natural Family Planning is the ideal method of spacing of children and delay of pregnancy. It has proven to be very effective and has no side effects. The key to success is co-operation, commitment, communication and prayer.

Human Life is sacred and of inestimable value. The entire human person belongs to God. This means that neither the human person nor his body can be commodities for commercial purposes. We must therefore fight against these heinous crimes against humanity.

Same-sex union is abominable and should never be given legal status in our nation. The tolerance and promotion of same-sex union leads to the corrosion of more basic rights(conscience right, religious right), injury to children, further degradation of the family and decrease in life expectancy. It is for this reason that it should never be an integral part of our social, cultural or legal landscape. Truemarriage is a one-man and one-womancovenant established by God.

Having sex is a special preserve for the married. It is a sacred act ordained by God to be exercised only in marriage for its unitive and procreative purposes. Pre-marital sex and extra-marital sex is a deviation of this divine plan of intimate love which is rooted in chastity. Homosexuality and lesbianism are abnormal and sinful acts.

We should remain with God for life. If we remain with God, we will not only cherish the life of God in us, we will defend the life of everyone everywhere.
Signed By:
Most Rev. Anthony J. V. Obinna
Archbishop of Owerri
Rev. Fr. Justin Okoro
Chaplain for Pro-Life Owerri
Obianuju Ekeocha
Culture of Life Africa