Encouraged by the sight of more than half a million people gathered in Lima, Peru, to attend a March for Life event, Pope Francis called on Peru's Catholic faithful to "keep shaking things up."
The march was held in defence of life from the moment of conception to natural death.
The Pope made the exhortation when he met Peruvian Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani after the General Audience at the Vatican on June 3, according to the Catholic News Agency. Cardinal Cipriani went to Rome to attend the meetings of Pope Francis' Council for the Economy.
According to a statement by the Archdiocese of Lima, the Peruvian cardinal showed the Pope during their meeting in St. Peter's Square pictures of the large crowd who participated in the 2015 March for Life in the Peruvian capital on March 12.
The cardinal also showed the Pope photos of the recent Pentecost Encounter, in which over 4,000 gathered in Exposition Park following the 20th Synod of the Archdiocese of Lima.
Pope Francis was delighted after seeing the pictures and asked the Peruvian faithful to "keep shaking things up," according to the cardinal.
The 2015 March for Life was considered a milestone in Peru since it drew participants whose number was double than that of the crowd who held the same march last year, becoming one of the biggest pro-life gatherings in the world this year. The participants came not only from Lima but from other cities throughout Peru as well.
For the event, Pope Francis sent a message, read by Cardinal Cipriani: "To the participants in the March for Life taking place in Lima, and to those who join in prayer and in the commitment to defend life and promote the fundamental good of human life, from conception to its natural end: Long live life!"
