By Gretchen Keiser

Ten thousand foot soldiers in a 20-year-old anti-abortion battle walked the streets of Atlanta Jan. 22 while President Clinton signed orders advancing pro-abortion policies.

“Who is the enemy? Who is the destroyer of human life?” Father Richard Lopez had asked rhetorically in his homily at a Mass for the unborn that morning. “Those who get abortions, who perform abortions are our brothers and sisters,” he answered, “clean-cut Americans” who have been robbed of the “truth” about abortion, its “horror.”

“We must help people to think clearly, think deeply, and consider all the facts,” he said. “We must keep our thinking clear and share our clear thinking with a nation that is ignoring the facts.”

His homily foreshadowed the fact that the executive actions taken by previous administrations, holding some pro-abortion policies at bay for 12 years, were removed in one afternoon by President Clinton.

Speaking in the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Father Lopes addressed a gathering filling every seat, standing in the aisles and vestibule of the church, and crowding on steps up into the choir loft. The Mass was concelebrated by over 20 priests of the archdiocese, many of whom accompanied parish groups who walked in the silent march afterward through downtown Atlanta.

The nation has been depleted by the loss of 29 million lives since the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision, Father Lopez said, and information about the beginning of life and the reality of abortion is being obscured.

While urging those committed to the pro-life movement to bring logic and information to bear on opponents, Father Lopez also acknowledged that deeds speak louder than words.

Part of the reason why abortion prevails, he said, is because people are afraid “of the pain involved in serving” the weak and the needy, whether infants, the poor or the old.

To truly sway the hearts of others, “They must see in us the scars of giving to those who are in need,” Father Lopez said.

He also said the dignity that pro-life people expect to be given to the unborn, must be given to pro-choice opponents.

Petitions at the Mass were offered by Vera Bailey, executive director of the Human Development Resource Council, a Norcross organization devoted to medical information on the pro-life issue and Kathleen Pyrce, who coordinates a network of volunteers through Catholic Social Services working with women in crisis pregnancies. Dr. Kathleen Raviele, a physician active in the pro-life movement, was the lector.

Mary Rogers of St. Jude’s parish was cantor and soloist for the Mass, which was signed for the hearing-impaired. Alan Brown and Greg Holland, also of St. Jude’s parish, played organ and trumpet.

“I think people feel they are beleaguered by all the attacks on Christian morals, Christian beliefs,” said Peggy Sinanian, who directs the archdiocesan pro-life office. “I think this Mass has lifted their spirits and given them courage, especially Father Lopez’ words.”

She believes there is an increasingly spiritual aspect to “the whole pro-life movement.”

Father Bob Susann, MS, pastor of St. Ann’s Marietta, noted many sensed an urgency this year because of the election of President Clinton on a pro-choice agenda. “We have to get out and promote pro-life policies.”

An estimated 10,000 people gathered at the state Capitol for a noon rally that featured a series of speakers sponsored by the Together For Life committee, an interdenominational coalition of may pro-life organizations and individuals.

Banners from many Christian churches and schools were visible, as were slogans and placards expressing personal and political convictions. At 1 p.m. a trumpeter standing on the steps played taps, a signal for the beginning of the silent walk by the throng down Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, north on Peachtree Street, past Woodruff Park and then along Georgia State University’s perimeter back to the Capitol.

Teenagers and children were prominent among this year’s marchers, as were families pushing strollers with babies in them. Among the banners passing by were an Arkansas flag; the Knights of Columbus flag, a sign proclaiming ‘I’m a pro-life R.N.—facts made me believe’” the Rescue movement’s slogan from the book of Proverbs – ‘Rescue those being led away to death;’ parish banners from All Saints in Dunwoody and St. Ann’s in Marietta; a long line of Marian prayers and images held aloft by marchers from the Cathedral of Christ the King; and many hand-written signs directed at President Clinton and targeting his support of pro-choice positions.

The Jonesboro Knights of Columbus Council 6352 marched with a banner proclaiming “the natural choice is life.”

At the Capitol, Joe Goode, a St. Jude’s parishioner who is active on the parish peace and justice committee, expressed his belief that society’s support of abortion is part of a broader acceptance of violence as a solution to problems.

“I would like to see the pro-life movement broadened, but I will certainly do what I can to protect the unborn children. I worry about society in general,” Goode said. “Until we no longer kill our enemies I don’t think we’ll solve the abortion problem.”