July 7-9, 2000 Vida Humana Internacional (VHI --HLI's Hispanic Division) and its Paraguay affiliate, SEAVI (Servicio Amor y Vida) in collaboration with FEDAVIFA (a recently created alliance of pro-life/family groups in Paraguay), put on an international conference which educated and motivated hundreds of attendees on pro-life/family issues and many more via radio and tv. The conference, which was called "Vida Humana Internacional: Por la Vida y la Familia", took place at the National University in Asunción and had the full support of the Paraguayan bishops, through the Archdiocesan Family Life Pastoral.

Thursday, July 6, before the conference started, several of the speakers gave talks at the Thomas Moore Institute of the Catholic University in Asunción. Friday July 7, leaders from a number of Latin American countries met all day to give and listen to oral reports on the situation in their countries where it concerns life/family issues, as well as to share and plan strategies.

The conference began the evening of Friday, July 7, with a "Jubilee for Life", which included a candlelight vigil march from San Roque Catholic Church to the Metropolitan Cathedral in Asunción, during which participants prayed the Holy Rosary. The conference, which was a special event planned for the entire Southern Tip of Latin America, attracted leaders from a number of those countries. They marched holding the flags of their native countries. Special indulgences were granted by the Church for the pilgrimage, which was followed by a beautiful Mass celebrated by Monsignor Ricardo Valenzuela, Auxiliary Bishop of Asunción. Bishop Valenzuela enthusiastically encouraged all present to participate in the conference and to make a firm commitment to defend life/family. After the Mass a reception was held for the priests and bishops, speakers, organizers and other special guests present. The Saturday night Mass during the conference was celebrated by the Apostolic Nuncio, Monsignor Antonio Lucibello, and the closing Mass by Monsignor Jorge Livieres Banks, Bishop of Encarnación and President of the Paraguayan Episcopal Conference.

Some of the talks given at the conference starting Saturday morning and ending on Sunday night were : "The Culture of Death vs the Culture of Life", "Abortion and the Value of Life", "NFP at the Pastoral Level", "The Family and U.N. Conferences", "How to Defend Life/Family", "Domestic Violence and Self-esteem", "Sex-education: Dignifying or Degrading?", "Anti-Life Feminism in Society and in the Church", "Building the Culture of Life", etc. All the talks were professionally audio taped and WEWN World Catholic Radio is planning to broadcast them throughout Latin America, via VHI's radio program "Conferences for Life and Family".

The conference had enormous repercussions at the national level and took place at a very opportune time. A "reproductive health" program is being promoted throughout the country. ("Reproductive health" is an euphemism for the promotion of contraception, sterilization and abortion.) There are even efforts to introduce this anti-life project in the Code of Law for Children and Adolescents.

All day Saturday, simultaneously and at a different location, a youth conference took place which was attended by hundreds of enthusiastic young people, who made a commitment to work for life/family. In their statement, issued after their conference, the youth condemned the "culture" of death and expressed their desire to "rescue the values that Jesus taught us with his life, such as chastity, love, human solidarity and others, which will enable us to reduce the amount of problems which affect us, such as venereal diseases, out of wedlock pregnancies and family conflicts."

Before, during and after the conference, several hundred pounds of educational materials and videos donated by VHI were distributed. This writer was interviewed by Channels 9, 13 and Telefuturo; as well as by Caritas Radio Station, Diario ABC Color and Diario Última Hora (the two major newspapers in Asunción) and others. For the first time in Paraguay, two of VHI's videos on abortion were aired on a secular tv channel.

On Monday, July 10, the Second International Training for Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPC's) took place. (The first one took place March 21-26, 2000 in Mexico City for Central America.) These efforts are part of the initial stages of a joint project by VHI and Mexico's CPC's to launch an Aid to Women Network, which will make it possible to open new centers throughout Latin America and to unite and fortify those efforts throughout that continent.

The opportunity we were given after the conference ended to address all the bishops of Paraguay who were present in Asunción for their General Assembly, was a special gift from God. They were very supportive and gratefully received the special packets of information which we gave them. When their Assembly ended, the bishops publicly reaffirmed the Church's defense of human life through their spokesman, Bishop Pastor Cusquejo, Secretary General of the Paraguayan Episcopal Conference.

We're very proud of the HLI affiliate in Paraguay, SEAVI, and especially its president Dr. Néstar de Stark and her collaborators, who did such a wonderful job in putting on this conference. We thank God for the many graces He showered upon all of us, and we thank our donors for making this much needed work possible. God bless you all!

Magaly Llaguno is Executive Director of Vida Humana Internacional, Human Life International's Hispanic Division.

For Spanish pro-life / pro-family resources &/or to request a bilingual catalog of Spanish materials, contact: