[Salvation]

Lisbon, Portugal

March 24, 2017

Paula, the 40 Days for Life leader in Lisbon, says the campaign there continues to grow.

Volunteers have witnessed emotional scenes outside the abortion center – including one instance where a 39-year-old woman came out in tears after having an abortion.

“She said she just wanted to go home, get into bed and cry,” Paula said. She had no children, and said “I’ve never hurt anyone, not even an ant” … but she thought the abortion was something she “had to do.” She was given information about Rachel’s Vineyard and post-abortion healing.

Another volunteer counted 33 women going into the clinic during an hour and a half on the sidewalk. Of these women, 26 had someone with them, and 29 came by car or taxi – and the cars included a Mercedes, a BMW and a Porche.

This vigil participant said the common myth that women who have abortions are poor and have no support is simply that – a myth.

“I prayed for the unborn babies, for the mothers and for the parents of those children, and for the conversion of all those who work there,” the volunteer said. And although there were many attempts to start conversations with abortion center clients, “nobody came to talk to me.”

“I also prayed for our politicians so that Portugal does not continue to walk towards the abyss that is this culture of death.”

[Salvation]

DAY 25: Persecution and courage

March 25, 2017

Persecution of 40 Days for Life volunteers is on the rise.

Our Lord doesn’t suggest that the world will persecute us; He promises that it will … and gave us His own life as the example to follow.

At most of the 340+ campaign locations, there is a quiet simple prayer vigil. Our peaceful approach begets a peaceful response — which is why so many moms choose life at the last moment.

At other locations, we are seeing an angry and sometimes vile response. Such hostility is being met with a Christ-like behavior that is always the expectation at 40 Days for Life vigils.

There have been a few pro-abortion demonstrators who’ve tried to drown out the prayers and others who have accused us of being “gender supremacists.” There have even been attempts to silence 40 Days for Life by having the vigil removed from the public right-of-way.

What hasn’t been silenced is the courage of participants … and the women they’ve helped.

Aberdeen, Scotland

With the first 40 Days for Life vigil in Aberdeen in progress, some student groups at Aberdeen University have tried to raise a ruckus about the Catholic chaplaincy on their campus.

It seems there are 40 Days for Life posters on the building. And some of the students are complaining, circulating petitions – and trying to drum up media support for having the posters removed.

As the Aberdeen Feminist Society put it, “it is deeply inappropriate to display posters encouraging people to take action outside maternity clinics. Our campus is a place for discussion, but displaying material that appears to condemn those who have had abortions is actively harmful.”

The “harmful” posters? Merely the standard 40 Days for Life message of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion.

A spokesman for the local Catholic bishop refused to budge. “The decision by the Catholic chaplaincy to display a poster advertising a peaceful pro-life vigil cannot in any way be deemed harmful or distressing,” he said. “The 40 Days for Life vigils are peaceful, yet poignant reminders of the tragic reality of abortion.”

Despite the complaints, the university administration said it could do nothing. The chapel building belongs to the Catholic diocese, “and as such, is not a university-owned or managed facility.”