WASHINGTON (CNS) — All Catholics are called “to help build a culture of life in which every human life without exception is respected and defended,” the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities said in a message for Respect Life Sunday Oct. 5. Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia invited Catholics to build a culture of life and to “rededicate ourselves to defending the basic rights of those who are weakest and most marginalized: the poor, the homeless, the innocent unborn, and the frail and elderly who need our respect and our assistance” in a statement released Sept. 30. The statement outlined the cardinal’s immediate concerns regarding assisted suicide, embryonic stem-cell research and abortion. Cardinal Rigali’s full statement can be found online at www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2008/08-141.shtml.