The Irish Catholic Bishops have called for a culture of life in this year’s Day for Life celebration.

Taking place this Sunday, the annual event is dedicated to raising awareness about the meaning and value of human life at every stage, and in every condition.

In their Day for Life pastoral message, the bishops grieve the loss of life due to abortion and seek a change of hearts and minds about the innate dignity of the child in the womb and the care of women for whom pregnancy presents particular challenges.

Bishop Kevin Doran, Chair of the Bishops’ Council for Life said, “In 2019 there were 6,666 abortions in the Republic of Ireland and in the vast majority of cases, no reason was either asked or given. The tragedy of this is not just the loss of so many young lives, but the grief that so many women suffer in silence and the extent to which society itself loses its fruitfulness.”