(CNA) A Catholic bishop presided Saturday at a funeral Mass for 640 unborn children in Poland.
Bishop Kazimierz Gurda of Siedlce celebrated the Mass Dec. 12 in the Church of Holy Trinity in Gończyce, 50 miles southeast of the capital, Warsaw.
In his homily, he said: “These children have the right to a worthy burial as they are persons from the moment of conception. The right to life is a right that cannot be taken away from anyone, including and above all from a defenseless child in the womb.”
“Whoever has received the gift of life from God has the right to life and has the right to love. Even if their life story ended in a few months, even before they were born, it doesn’t mean they ceased to exist. A person’s life changes, but it doesn’t end. Their life goes on. God has prolonged it for all eternity.”
After Mass, the unborn children’s coffins were solemnly buried in a nearby cemetery. The coffins contained the bodies of children who had died following stillbirths, miscarriages and abortions. They were collected from different hospitals, mainly from Warsaw.
The ceremony was the initiative of Maria Bienkiewicz, of the New Nazareth Foundation, who has been organizing funerals for unborn children since 2005.
Tej Francis
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