Religious group El Shaddai to start Advent with anti-RH vigil

A major pro-life group allied with the Catholic Church will kick off the Advent season with a prayer vigil against the reproductive health (RH) bill. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said members of the religious group El Shaddai will gather in Parañaque City November 27. "The prayer assembly is a response to the call of Pope Benedict XVI for all Catholics worldwide to join the prayer vigil for 'All Nascent of Human Life' on the eve of the first Sunday of Advent," the CBCP said in an article posted Friday afternoon on its news site, adding the event will start at 5:30 p.m. Advent is a season of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It is the beginning of the Western liturgical year and usually commences on the last Sunday of November, the fourth Sunday before December 25. Meanwhile, the CBCP said the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas will hold a "Prayer and Reflection Service on Human Life" in Manila this Saturday at the Manila Cathedral. Angie Aguirre, M.D. and Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez will be the resource speakers at the prayer gathering from 6 to 9 p.m. Catholic Church officials have been vocal against the RH bill, which allows the use of artificial contraception to slow the country's runaway population growth. — LBG, GMANews.TV