Your Opinion: Intercessory prayer offered to convert hearts on abortion

Dear Editor:

In Sue Gibson's letter Jan. 22, she compares promoting abortions at a Catholic Church - or any church I suppose - to protesting abortions at an abortion clinic. This actually confirms what many pro-lifers have known what occurs for years. In a Catholic Church - at Mass the people worship God and give thanks for the gift of life, and for His Son Jesus who feeds them with his body and blood. At the abortion clinic, it too offers worship - worship of the devil. For there an innocent baby sheds his or her blood. The devil loves the killing of innocent babies, destroying life that only God can create.

As far as imposing "religious beliefs,' yes, it is that, but much more. It's a case of life and death. Many babies are saved by the intercessory prayer by those praying (yes, praying to God the Creator) and attempts to tell the women or men coming to the clinic that there are happy alternatives to ending the life of their child, and sparing themselves the trauma of knowing they have killed their child.

Regarding her discussion of the numbers of women who die from pregnancy as a reason to justify abortion, she dodges the fact that half of all aborted babies are women. Yes, one-half! And how many does that come to? Well, since 1980, worldwide over 1.3 billion babies killed by abortion. Yes, that's 1,300,000,000 plus. And divide that by two equals almost 700 million women. In the U.S., over 58 million babies have been killed since Roe vs. Wade, again, 29 million of these are women! Talk about war on women!

Concerning her charge that the "flock had been incited to fury at the 11:30 Mass,' well, yes, the flock was incited in a way - but to love God more and to love their neighbor as themselves. This means to "... do unto others as we would have them do unto us." Put into action, this means to help save our fellow men and women (and babies) from death. And this would include helping to save those from death who have no faith!

And by the way, we did include an intercessory prayer during Mass for the "Conversion of Hearts for those who promote abortion." And the priests being smug? No, they did what they always do - greet the people coming out of church and wishing them a good day. It's part of being loving and promoting peace and community. Its part of celebrating life. As a deacon at that Mass this is what I witnessed.