An organization in Europe advocating against abortion has been chosen as one of the four laureates for the Archdiocese of Seoul’s pro-life awards.
The 19th Mystery of Life Awards picked Prolife Europe, the only university-based pro-life organization in Europe, as the winner of the Achievement Award for Activities.
Founded in 2019 by young adults from different countries, the group conducts educational programs in schools and local communities to raise awareness against abortion and the importance of respecting life.
“Abortion strikes human life in its most defenseless state,” the group wrote on their website. “The unborn, though unseen, voiceless, and unable to express their needs, are yet no less human.”
The other three categories of the Mystery of Life Awards are the Achievement Award for Life Sciences, Encouragement Award for Life Sciences, and Encouragement Award for Humanities and Social Sciences.
These were given to Professor Jun R. Huh of Harvard Medical School, Professor Jina Jang of Pohang University of Science and Technology, and multi-awarded poet Seo Hyo-in, respectively.
Professor Huh was recognized in the field of Life Sciences for identifying a mechanism that increases the risk of autism.
His work revealed how maternal infection during pregnancy leads to excessive production of the immune molecule that suppresses fetal neural activity.
Professor Jang also excelled in life sciences as a pioneer in biofabrication, a cutting-edge technology that artificially creates biological tissues and organs.
She has developed a chamber-shaped cardiac muscle construct using 3D bioprinting based on adult stem cells, which allows for the reproduction of the phenomenon of left ventricular torsion, the first of its kind in the world.
In the field of humanities and social sciences, Hyo-in has published five poetry collections and six essay collections since his debut at 25 years old, focusing mostly on pro-life themes.
He is also active in public discourse about providing support to people with disabilities.
The winners will receive a commemorative plaque from Seoul Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick, as well as the Excellence Award of 200 million won (approx. $150,000), the Achievement Award of 100 million won (approx. $75,000), and the Encouragement Award of 30 million won (about $ 22,500).
The formal awards ceremony will be held at the Royal Hotel Seoul on June 17 and will be broadcast live on the Catholic Peace Broadcasting YouTube channel.
The Mystery of Life Awards was instituted with the formation of the Archdiocese of Seoul’s Committee for Life in 2005 to recognize individuals who uphold Catholic teaching in protecting human life.
It aims to “stand as a testament to the Catholic Church’s unwavering commitment to the dignity and sanctity of human life” while advancing relevant scholarly research and studies about and around it.
For its 19th year, the nominations were opened for the first time to international entries in anticipation of the upcoming World Youth Day, which will be held in Seoul in 2027.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
Latest News
