Pope meets ambassador, calls Guatemalan pro-life laws 'seal of honor'

Published: 2004-09-02

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) -- Pope John Paul II praised Guatemala's pro-life laws, calling them the country's "seal of honor." "I am happy to say that the defense of human life, from conception to natural death, is constitutionally recognized in your nation," the pope said in a written address to Guatemala's new ambassador to the Holy See. "When civil legislation assumes the principles of natural law, one moves toward peace and the progress of peoples," the message said. At his summer residence outside Rome, the pope welcomed Juan Gavarrete Soberon as the new ambassador presented his credentials Sept. 2. In his address, the pope recalled his three papal visits to the Central American country, especially his most recent visit in 2002, when he saw "a happy and hopeful people" after a 1996 peace accord ended 36 years of civil war.

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