Bishop Kevin Doran’s homily at the mass for the Rally for Life

Image credit: Elphin Diocese and All Ireland Rally for Life

The Bishop of Elphin told pro-lifers ahead of the Rally for Life this year their participation in the march was a “vital expression of our commitment to defend the common good of our whole society”. 

Thousands of pro-lifers gathered in Parnell Square on Saturday 6th of July to protest the current abortion regime that has seen over 42,000 babies lost to abortion since 2019. Before the Rally took place, many Catholics attending the Rally took part in a mass that took place in St Saviour’s Priory on Dominic Street, which was ministered by Bishop Kevin Doran, a well-known advocate for the pro-life cause.

During the mass, Bishop Doran gave a powerful homily questioning and discussing why so many people took the time to attend the Rally for Life, more specifically the Catholic mass in the Dominican Church.

“Many of you have come here to this Mass for Life in previous years. For some of you, it may be your first time. It is good for us to be here. Having listened together to God's word, it may be a good thing for us to reflect for a few moments on why exactly we are here,” he began.

“There is, of course, a 'Rally for Life' taking place this afternoon. That is a significant political act, which draws attention once again to the evil of abortion. No matter how it is dressed up, abortion is an act of violence against women. It kills unborn babies; thirty-eight thousand of them here in Ireland since the present legislation was enacted. These are not just statistics; they are innocent human beings, each with his or her own unique identity.”

“Our political action this afternoon is a small but vital expression of our commitment to defend the common good of our whole society.” He continued. “Women and babies need us to stand with them, and so do men. Doctors, nurses and pharmacists need our support and encouragement to stand for the truth and to act with integrity.”

Bishop Doran then proceeds to discuss the Gospel passage that was read at the mass which tells of the Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, both of whom are pregnant. He contrasts the attitudes of Mary and Elizabeth who rejoice at the “gift of life”, to the attitudes of society today where people are “becoming condition to see pregnancy as a problem”.

“Perhaps, as we listen to God's Word, we need to ask ourselves how we might be able to contribute to the development of a more positive and welcoming attitude towards pregnancy and childbirth,” he said.

“For some women, pregnancy is a lonely time and we often hear that abortion is a lonely choice. There are people around them, but there is nobody with them. Let's face it, our society is so focused on making abortion available that we have no formal process for even asking a woman why she feels she needs to make this choice,” he continued. “Is there some way in which we could be with women and walk with them from early pregnancy, through the birth of their child and into infancy, in a way which would not be intrusive, but which would reassure them that they are not on their own.”

“We certainly need to change the law and change the practice and change prevailing attitudes in society. But our prayer always has to begin with a desire for our own hearts, our own attitudes and our own actions to be purified,” he concluded.

The full text of Bishop Doran’s homily can be found here.