The CEU Institute for Family Studies at Universidad CEU San Pablo
and the Catholic Association of Propagandists (ACdP) recently presented the CEU
Awards for Life. These awards have been presented for ten years, to
recognize individuals, associations, and university students for their initiatives
in the defence of life. In this 10th edition of the awards, the president of
the Asociación
Familia y Dignidad Humana, Javier Puente Redondo, received the ‘Award for
Public Defense of Life’.
Upon receiving his award from Alfonso Bullón de Mendoza, president of
the Catholic Association of Propagandists and the CEU San Pablo University
Foundation, Javier Puente spoke in defense of life and the family: ‘We must see
both as a celebration, a joy, something to talk about in a positive way.’ ‘There
is nothing more progressive than defending life’, he added. He went on to say that
‘the family leads you to defend these values. It is a place of love that is
always with us. We must defend life from the moment of conception until natural
death, throughout its entire journey.’ He added, ‘we must all defend life, our
most important right.’
Finally, he encouraged people to be protagonists, to be free, and to take
action. He invited them to swim against the tide saying that this would make
them stronger and feel more alive.
Also under the banner of CEU Awards for Life, several CEU
university students were presented with ‘Creativity Awards in Defense of Life’.
First prize went to Ignacio Navas Valenzuela, a second-year Humanities student
at CEU San Pablo University, for his essay entitled ‘A Matter of Perspective’.
Four runner-up prizes were also awarded.
During the ceremony, Carmen Fernández de la Cigoña, director of the CEU
Institute for Family Studies, spoke about the Institute’s mission ‘to explore
the goodness, truth, and the beauty of the family and, therefore, to defend
human life.’ She explained the purpose of the awards, saying that ‘progress in
society should be measured by our respect for human life and our protection of
the family. That’s why we work with people who share this mission. That’s why
the ‘Public Defense of Life Awards’ were created.’
The rector of Universidad CEU San Pablo, Rosa Visiedo,
congratulated all the winners and thanked the Institute, which this year celebrates
twenty years of activity, for maintaining awareness of the value and sacredness
of life regardless of ideology. She said that ‘the University cannot be an
entity separated from time and society, because it would be unable to fulfill
its mission. It must serve others and constantly search for truth through
knowledge.’ She also reaffirmed the University’s commitment to its students and
to society, and its commitment to defending life.
The president of the ACdP, Alfonso Bullón de Mendoza, closed the prize-giving
ceremony by emphasizing the importance of defending life and the family, and
the significance of these awards. He praised Javier Puente as a ‘defender of
life who goes against the grain’ and highlighted the important role students
can play in upholding these values in society.