Roe v. Wade 'will not stand,' cardinal says at pro-life vigil Mass

Published: 2008-01-22

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Roe v. Wade, the 35-year-old Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion virtually on demand, "will not stand," Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia said in his homily at a Jan. 21 evening Mass that opened the annual National Prayer Vigil for Life. "Roe v. Wade is incompatible with human dignity," said Cardinal Rigali, chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities. "It must not stand. It cannot stand. It will not stand." His declaration drew applause from the packed Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. It was one of five times that the cardinal's remarks during his homily were met with applause. Cardinal Rigali, echoing the New Testament reading from First Corinthians for the St. Agnes feast day Mass of Jan. 21, told the packed church that, "instead of choosing 'great' or impressive people in the eyes of the world, God uses the humble, the foolish, the weak and 'those who count for nothing' to accomplish his purposes. It is when we least expect it that the tiniest among us can humble the powerful," he said.

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