London, England, May 8, 2018 / 14:16 pm
A Scottish bishop addressed the March for Life UK on Saturday, challenging pro-lifers to be courageous in sharing their witness.
"We will win this battle by truth, but we will win it even more by courage," Bishop John Keenan of Paisley said May 5, the Catholic Herald reported.
"You have no idea of the galvanising effect your courage will have if you stand up before the British media courageously, even under attack, and be pro-life. You're setting the seeds of the next generation."
Thousands of pro-lifers marched about a half mile from Trafalgar Square in downtown London to Parliament Square for the march. It was the first time that the March for Life UK had been held in London; previously, it had been hosted in Birmingham.
The march was also attended by Bishop John Wilson, an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Westminster.
In preparation for the March, an all night prayer vigil was held at St. Dominic's Church - The Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary. Mass at Saint Patrick's Catholic Church then kicked off the event on the following morning.
Attendees then listened to keynote speakers Rachel Mackenzie of Rachel's Vineyard and Clare McCullough, a founder of the Good Counsel Network, who denounced the imposition of a protection order around a London abortion clinic last month.
Thank you to all the priests and religious that came today to March for Life #LifeDeservesLove #LifeFest18 pic.twitter.com/CTHlkFQQFB
- March4LifeUK (@March4LifeUK) May 5, 2018
Afterwards, a festival for life took place in De Vere Connaught Room, where workshops, children's activities, and other Christian services were made available. Bishop John Wilson, an auxiliary of Westminster, gave the opening address and was followed by speakers like American singer Joy Villa, Bishop Keenan, and CEO of N-Gage, Christie Spurling.
At the workshops, pro-lifers could learn apologetic tips to better encounter the current culture. The topics included "how to reach out to pregnant women before the abortion industry does" and "changing the culture one conversion at a time."
A closing prayer vigil was led by Michael Nazir-Ali, an Anglican bishop.
The March for Like UK is held in the spring to commemorate the April 27, 1968 coming into force of the Abortion Act 1967, which legalized abortion in England, Wales, and Scotland.
