Editor's Desk: 'Descent into Hell'

By Michael F. Flach
Herald Editor
(From the issue of 5/13/04)

The recent March for Women’s Lives in Washington received lots of positive media attention. Counterdemonstrations involving pro-life supporters often took the form of silent witness (see ACH 4/29/04, page one). But first-hand reports from these pro-life demonstrators paint a disturbing portrait of verbal abuse at the hands of the pro-abortion majority.

Karen A. Torres and her two daughters attended one of the counterdemonstrations. She was startled to find herself separated from the pro-abortion mob surging up Pennsylvania Avenue by a thin, waist-high temporary fence. She assumed the two opposing camps would be kept apart.

"We walked up to the group praying a rosary and holding large signs of babies in the womb on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 15th Street after the march had all ready begun," she said. "Between the noise and the intensity of the moment, no one introduced themselves. We just pulled out our rosaries, grabbed pro-life posters and joined in."

Torres said at the center of the group (which included several Christendom College students) was a young priest who led the rosary while holding up a heavy wooden crucifix. The priest recited the Divine Mercy Chaplet and "faithfully, calmly and courageously" recited all the prayers on a special pro-life handout.

"I never learned (the priest’s) name," she said. "I would like to write to him and tell him how deeply impressed we were by his courage and calm as we all descended into hell together."

Torres said the crowd in the street "went crazy" at the sight of a crucifix and roman collar, coupled with the recitation of the rosary. "It was too much for them," she said. "Women naked from the waist up (except for NARAL stickers) came as close as possible to the priest to scream obscenities and block sight of the crucifix with their signs promoting sex-ed.

"Young men skipping hand-in-hand stopped to ostentatiously give each other big sloppy openmouthed kisses. One enraged man began banging his sign hard against an oversized poster of a baby in the womb, attempting to topple it and possibly its holder," Torres said.

"One man who appeared to be quite serious told us repeatedly that he worshipped Satan and was putting a curse on us. Over and over again we were told that Jesus hated us, God was pro-choice and we were bad Christians who were going to hell.

"But the most hated and attacked target was the priest," Torres said. "For major portions of the march, we could not hear the rosary over the microphone, even though we were only five feet away. At the sight of the priest and his crucifix, people cursed, taunted and chanted slogans, but mostly they just screamed and shrieked incoherently. Between the decibel level and the hate, that sustained screaming was unnervingly like a tidal wave coming at you."

Despite having the worst verbal abuse directed toward him, Torres said, the priest never lost his calm or prayerful focus. He exhibited "patient compassion" in the face of unremitting hate.

"In my 47 years I have never witnessed a better example of grace under pressure — better known as courage — and I would like to write and tell him so," Torres said.

Anyone who recognizes this priest can write to the HERALD at 200 N. Glebe Rd., Suite 600, Arlington, Va. 22203.

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