Abuse scandal takes toll as numbers on Washington March for Life fall

The annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. was more muted this year as the Catholic Church, which supplies the vast majority of the marchers, continues to lick its wounds from the re-emergence of the clergy sexual abuse scandal last year, writes Michael Sean Winters.

The march, held on 18 January, the Friday before the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalised abortion, nonetheless drew tens of thousands of participants, including many Catholic school students.

Washington’s Cardinal Donald Wuerl bowed out of the annual Youth Mass in the sports arena, which was instead celebrated by Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Christophe Pierre. Cardinal Wuerl had faced questions about when he first learned about allegations that his predecessor, the former cardinal Theodore McCarrick, had inappropriate relationships with seminarians.

Just two cardinals and 40 bishops attended the Vigil Mass the night before. The event traditionally attracts almost all of the cardinals and about 100 bishops.

Archbishop Joseph Naumann, chair of the bishops’ conference’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, was the principal celebrant at the Vigil Mass, held in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The archbishop, who is considered a leader of the hierarchy’s conservative wing, addressed a range of issues in his homily, including the clergy sexual abuse crisis, immigration, poverty and racism.

He also spoke about the radicalisation of the pro-choice movement, citing the recent confirmation process of a judge in which two senators asked about the nominee’s participation in “an extremist organisation”. The organisation was the Knights of Columbus, and the senators cited the Knights’ support for the pro-life cause and its opposition to same-sex marriage as evidence of its extremism.

The speakers at the march included an unscheduled appearance by Vice President Mike Pence. He introduced a video address by President Trump pledging to continue support for pro-life policies.

Meanwhile, an exchange between Catholic high school students from Covington, Kentucky, and a Native American tribal leader saw the students vilified on social media the following day; initial accusations that the students showed racist behaviour have since been withdrawn.