In the course of a few days, two of the most prominent Catholic churches in the nation were desecrated by pro-abortion fanatics. They chose the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, to vandalize. The occasion was the run-up to the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
On January 20, on the eve of the March for Life in D.C., there was a prayer vigil at the Basilica. An anti-Catholic group, Catholics for Choice, was responsible for what happened.
Led by lesbian activist Jamie Manson, this outfit managed to project pro-abortion slogans on the Basilica. “We have to talk back to the anti-choice movement in religious language,” she said.
Bill Donohue responded, “In other words, her idea of religious language is to disseminate pro-abortion messages at a Catholic pro-life event. That would be like using racist language at a pro-racial justice rally.”
On January 22, another anti-Catholic outfit, New York City for Abortion Rights, projected “God Loves Abortion” and other vile slogans on the exterior of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Supporters of the group shouted obscenities at pro-life Catholics entering and exiting the Cathedral.
Both of these shell groups are on the losing side of the abortion issue. Over the past few decades, more and more Americans having been moving in a pro-life direction, and the pro-abortion activists know it. They also know that the Supreme Court may overturn Roe v. Wade in June.
There have been a few legal challenges to light projection protests, but so far no court has ruled in favor of them. They are not seen as trespassing or in violation of nuisance statutes, nor have they resulted in economic harm. Therefore, they are seen as protected speech.
The media have a professional obligation to cover events like these ones, but they failed.
In a larger story on the March for Life, the New York Times and the Washington Post made mention of the desecration of the Basilica, but neither covered the assault on St. Patrick’s Cathedral. None of the other newspapers covered anything about either event, and all the TV broadcast networks and cable news channels were equally silent.
Had a Jewish synagogue or a Muslim mosque been targeted in this fashion, it’s a sure bet the media would have been all over these stories. But given their pro-abortion politics, and their hostility to Catholicism, it’s not surprising what happened.
We were the only lay Catholic organization in the country to register a protest. We enlisted our email subscribers to let their voice be known, and they did not hold back.
