It would be impossible to give an exhaustive account of this wonderful Human Life International Convention in a brief article, so I shall try to stress the salient and exciting aspects of it.
The Convention commenced with a High Mass in the beautiful Basilica of Notre Dame, in Montreal. After came the much talked about Rosary Procession from the Basilica to the Radisson Hotel, where the convention was held.
We had been warned by the police and the organizers of the Convention that trouble was brewing in the form of a massive protest by the pro-abortionists. But I don’t think anybody anticipated what was about to take place. The police had erected barriers along the street and behind these stood a mob of protesters. They shouted, screamed and threw eggs, tomatoes and condoms at us as we walked quietly and peacefully along the streets.
Posters were waved at us with disgusting jargons, some accusing us of being “violent.” One could not but be proud of the reaction of the pro-lifers. With lighted candles they quietly and peacefully prayed the Rosary and I did not hear one angry word.
However, one aspect which worried me most was the presence of quite a large number of young people in the protest. We were told that they were university students – which makes it even sadder and does not auger well for the future.
With speakers of the calibre of Fr. Marx, Fr. Harbiger, Dr. William Coulson, Dr. Bernard Nathanson, Fr. Alphonse de Valk, Jim Hughes, Dr. Alice von Hildebrand, Msgr. Wm., William Smith, Dr. Stephen Genius, Dr. Donald DeMarco, Donna Steichen, and many others, it was difficult to decide which talk to attend.
Randall Terry, possibly the greatest pro-lifer in North America, gave the key-note address. He had just been released from five months in jail for defending the unborn. Terry, an evangelical minister, is the author of three influential books: Operation Rescue, Accessory to Murder and Why Does a Nice Guy Like Me Keep Getting Thrown in Jail. Terry gave a stirring speech which embraced almost the entire pro-life movement in the United States. His radio talk show, “Randall Terry Live” is now nationally syndicated in the U.S. His session in jail has, if possible, injected more fire into his already inspired defence of the Unborn.
Archbishop John Onaiyeken, of Abuja, Nigeria, gave us a very eloquent and interesting talk on the condition of the Church in Africa. The presence of Archbishop Onaiyeken, Bishop Pearce Lacey from Toronto and some sixty priests gave great encouragement to the lay people who attended. I spoke at great length with Francis Muroki from Nairobi, Kenya. He is a very personable and intelligent young Kikuyu – the tribe with which I worked – and is anxious to start a pro-life magazine entitled The Family. Discussing the pro-life cause with him gave me great heart – we have so much to learn from people whom we presume to teach! The talk given by Rabbi Yehuda Levin, an authority on traditional Jewish values, was most engrossing.
Father Frank Pavone, the National Director of “Priests for Life” in the U.S. spoke on how his group hopes to encourage all priests to preach the pro-life message I their parishes.
The wonderful talks given at these conventions are certainly of great assistance to those who attend and we always learn a great deal. But I believe (perhaps because I am a gregarious kind of animal) that meeting other pro-life people is of even greater importance. Twenty-eight countries were represented at the convention, including Africa, East and West, Japan, the Philippines, Poland. My own country, Ireland, was represented by Peter Scully, who is Director of the HLI office in Dublin. Meeting people from all over the world and chatting with them about the pro-life situation in their countries is an education in itself. I have attended many pro-life conferences and conventions and I always find the same thing. There is never any need to be introduced to anyone; we are all great friends with one common philosophy – human life is sacred. It is a philosophy which does not allow for any “ifs” of “buts.” I have never met anyone at a pro-life gathering taking a “well, in most cases” position.
I believe that the secret of success for the HLI conventions is the fact that they are always built on a spiritual basis. Apart from Mass being celebrated every morning in the huge hotel hall, attended by several hundred people, there is always a smaller hall turned into a chapel in which the Blessed Sacrament is preserved and there are people praying there at all times of the day. As far as I am aware, every talk is started and ended with a prayer. It is this sense of God’s presence that gives many pro-life people the courage to keep trying even when the future looks dark. Perhaps the unspoken and unwritten theme of every convention could be expressed in these words, “If God be with us, who can be against us?” In the words of Mother Teresa, “God will not ask us “Did you succeed,’ but only ‘Did you try?”
