Zuppi: Life Must Always Be Defended for All
In Lecce he linked peace to protecting the unborn, cited Pope Leo XIV and Mother Teresa, and praised the Movement’s help centers as peacemakers.
On November 7, 2026, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the Italian Episcopal Conference and archbishop of Bologna, addressed the 46th national convention of the Movimento per la Vita in Lecce. The gathering, held November 6–8 under the theme “Peace in the womb is peace in the world. The professionalism of our volunteer work, a response to the conflicts of the present time,” received his greetings as a call to ground peace in the defense of every human life.
Zuppi said peace is “not only the absence of weapons or the fruit of a political agreement, but first of all an attitude of the heart” that begins with protecting the most fragile and defenseless. He stated: “Life must always be defended, all of it and for everyone.” He quoted Pope Leo XIV’s audience of October 21—“Life, once conceived, must be protected with the utmost care”—and Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who said “the greatest destroyer of peace is abortion.”
Mercy for Women and Gratitude for Volunteers
The cardinal urged the Christian community to approach women who carry the weight or wounds of an abortion “with tenderness and mercy.” He thanked the Movement’s Centri di Aiuto alla Vita, Case di Accoglienza, SOS Vita, and Progetto Gemma as “operators of peace.” He paid tribute to the Servant of God Carlo Casini, whose defense of the right to life he called the cornerstone of a just, solidary, and peaceful society; Casini’s cause is advancing toward beatification.
A message from Pope Leo XIV, signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, and addressed to Msgr. Vito Caputo, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Lecce, affirmed that the defense of human life “is not a matter of particular or confessional interest: it is a goal of civilization.” It urged everyone to consider “the infinite dignity of every conceived child.”
Culture of Life as Culture of Peace
Marina Casini, president of the Movimento per la Vita, framed the convention around the claim that “the culture of life is in itself a culture of peace.” The organization says it has helped 280,000 children be born since 1975. She listed priorities including professionalizing volunteers and engaging artificial intelligence, while insisting that “no technology can fully replace human relationship.”
The Church’s constant teaching holds that every human life, from conception, bears inviolable dignity. Zuppi’s words in Lecce placed that teaching at the heart of the search for peace in a conflict-ridden age, calling pro-life volunteers not only advocates but peacemakers whose daily service begins where life is most vulnerable.