Abortion activists plan to interrupt Catholic Masses on Sunday

Activists are urging supporters of Roe v. Wade to "stand at or in a local Catholic Church" on Mother's Day.

Abortion activists are calling for demonstrations inside of Catholic churches across the U.S. on Mother’s Day. The move comes in response to a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that suggested that the Court may overturn Roe v, Wade.

The call went out from the Twitter account @RuthSentUs, named for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The tweet included a video of rowdy protestors meandering through a Catholic church, chanting slogans while church personnel tried to usher them to the door. The tweet was captioned:

“Whether you’re a ‘Catholic for Choice,’ ex-Catholic, of other or no faith, recognize that six extremist Catholics set out to overturn Roe. Stand at or in a local Catholic Church Sun May 8. #WarOnWomen #MothersDayStrike”
The planned Mass interruptions come at a time when the number of crimes targeting Catholic Churches is on the increase. According to the USCCB, there have been 129 incidents of arson, vandalism, and destruction to churches in 35 states since 2020.

Dioceses are bracing for Mass interruptions

Catholic churches across the country are bracing for possible demonstrations during Sunday’s Masses.

In the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Bishop David Zubik emailed clergy to put security measures in place, reported the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“We are aware that pro-abortion activists are threatening to disrupt Catholic Masses this Mother’s Day weekend,” a spokeswoman for the diocese said. “Parishes in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh have security plans, and they will be in place this weekend, as they are every weekend.”

In his email, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported, Bishop Zubik recommended that ushers be prepared to call 911 if protesters enter a church, and that security cameras be turned on.

He also suggested that ushers or volunteers take photos of protesters and record their license plate numbers to hand over to the police.

“Pastors and volunteers should do everything in their power to keep the situation calm and non-confrontational,” he wrote, according to the report.

The article noted that churches in New York City are also increasing security measures in preparation for possible demonstrations on Sunday.