Prayer, fasting and a renewed focus on charitable works to support expectant mothers were all part of how Catholics in the Arlington diocese and nationwide dealt with the continued fallout from a leaked draft judicial opinion suggesting the Supreme Court is prepared to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Catholics joined in praying the rosary and fasting May 13, the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, in response to a United States Conference of Catholic Bishops initiative. Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez, USCCB president, and Baltimore Archbishop Willian E. Lori, pro-life committee chairman, released a statement three days earlier calling on the faithful “to unite in fasting and prayer.”
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge led a rosary following the Mass for Homeschool Families at Holy Trinity Church in Gainesville. At the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, Catholics similarly gathered to pray the sorrowful mysteries in conjunction with daily Mass.
After the U.S. Senate failed May 11 to advance an abortion bill, Virginia’s two bishops responded by saying the measure “would have imposed abortion on demand nationwide at any stage of pregnancy through federal statute, eliminated modest and widely supported pro-life laws at every level of government, and forced all Americans to support abortions here and abroad with their tax dollars.”
For the second time this year, the Women’s Health Protection Act, or S. 4132, did not get the 60 votes needed to end debate on the bill and advance it to a vote on the substance of the measure. The vote to end debate was 51-49.
“Today’s vote was scheduled in response to the leak of a draft opinion in the Supreme Court case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. We applaud all senators who today chose life instead of abortion on demand,” said Bishop Burbidge and Richmond Bishop Barry C. Knestout in a joint statement. “We are also deeply disappointed that Virginia’s two U.S. senators voted in favor of moving forward with this radical legislation. We call on all members of Congress to direct their focus toward policies that fully recognize and support both mothers in need and their children.”
The USCCB similarly criticized the legislation.
In recent months, several states have passed abortion legislation in anticipation of the Supreme Court’s upcoming Dobbs decision, potentially sending the question of abortion back to the states. May 2, a draft of the high court’s opinion in Dobbs, written by Justice Samuel Alito, was leaked, leading to demonstrations on both sides of the abortion issue.
Bishop Burbidge said in a May 11 statement that the runup to the Dobbs decision is an opportunity to remember the Catholic Church’s teaching on “the profound value and dignity of every human life, which begins at conception,” as well as its commitment to “ensuring that those who courageously choose life are provided the practical, emotional and spiritual resources they need to welcome their child into this world.”
He reminded the faithful of diocesan resources available including prayer opportunities; Catholic Charities’ housing, medical care and counseling assistance to expectant mothers; the Gabriel Project and Project Rachel.
Catholic News Service contributed to this report.
