June 6, 2012
New York City: A Pro-Life Protest began with a Moleben at UN
Headquarters
On
Friday, June 1, International Children’s Day, Orthodox activists
held a pro-life rally in New York City.
In doing so, they lent their voices to an international campaign by
the Russian pro-life movement "Warriors for Life," which also held
events in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Bryansk, Cheboksary, in the
Ukraine, and in Poland.
Prior to the beginning of the rally, Priest Vadim Arefiev, rector of
the Church of our Lady "The Inexhaustible Chalice" in Brooklyn, NY,
served a moleben at the front entrance of the United Nations
Headquarters, sprinkling participants with holy water.
"The rally proceeded in a Christian spirit of witness, witness of
the violation of one of the Lord’s Commandments: ‘Thou shalt not
kill!’ Activists distributed a multitude of colored fliers to
passersby and to diplomats heading for work, calling on them to
reject participation in legalized infanticide," noted Daniel
Sashkov, one of the event’s organizers, who was quoted by "Interfax-Religion"
for the press service of "Warriors for Life."
"Abortion is murder!" chanted rally participants. Those who were not
indifferent to the fates of children stopped by the picketers, asked
questions, and shared their thoughts.
The "Warriors for Life" campaign was dedicated to the Holy
Equal-of-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine, whose memory the Orthodox
Church celebrates on June 3. "Emperor Constantine the Great ended
the filthy pagan practices of the Eastern Roman Empire. The
"Warriors for Life" hope to end a new paganism ‒ legalized
infanticide," rally organizers said earlier.
On
Friday, June 1, International Children’s Day, Orthodox activists
held a pro-life rally in New York City.
