BISHOP LEADS PRAYERS FOR UNBORN

About 100 Catholics shivered in the cold as they clutched rosary beads and recited prayers for unborn children on Sunday, the 22nd anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion.

The group met in front of the pro-life cross display near the intersection of Route K and Interstate 55 in Cape Girardeau.

More than 850 crosses, signifying aborted fetuses, served as a backdrop for Bishop John Leibrecht as he prayed for children and their mothers, abortionists and their supporters.

The bishop, who oversees the Springfield-Cape Girardeau diocese, called the event Sanctity of Life Sunday. He asked that all 88 parishes in the diocese join in prayer for the unborn.

Catholics will observe the event annually on the Sunday nearest Jan. 22.

Father J. Friedel assisted in the rosary. He is chaplain of the Knights of Columbus Council 11205, which sponsored the event with the SEMO-Lifesavers chapter of Missouri Right to Life.

The two groups plan to sponsor rosaries at the site on the third Sunday of each month.

Leibrecht explained that by reciting the rosary, the group asked for the intercession of the Virgin Mary on the part of the unborn.

The group believes peaceful prayer sessions like Sunday's will stop abortion, not the violent protests and killings that have marred the pro-life movement in recent months.

"It's important people realize these are just a few individuals who are not representative of the pro-life movement," Leibrecht said. "It is a vicious circle when people resort to violence to solve what they see as a problem. We are saddened by the violence and opposed to it."

Grand Knight Steve LeGrand, who helped coordinate the event, hopes other religious groups will join in the prayer sessions on future Sundays. The cross display already has attracted much attention, he said.

He said the goal of the Knights of Columbus and other pro-life groups was the repeal of Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion.