The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is calling upon the faithful to join in a special novena to be prayed every Friday from August 3 to September 28 to ask for God’s intervention during the critical weeks ahead when hearings to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh will be held to bring about a change in the U.S. Supreme Court that will move our country closer to insuring that every human being is protected by law.“The upcoming Supreme Court vacancy provides us with yet another occasion requiring focused prayer,” the bishops write. “The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops does not support or oppose the confirmation of any presidential nominee. However, given this historic moment, the U.S. bishops are urging all people of good will to pray that a change in the U.S. Supreme Court may move our nation closer to the day when every human being is protected in law and welcomed in life.”
The novena, which will begin this Friday, will coincide with the confirmation process of Judge Brett Kavanaugh whose hearings are set to begin soon. Because the confirmation of another pro-life justice will form a new majority on the nation’s highest court of justices who favor life, pro-abortion groups are going all out to put a stop to Kavanaugh’s confirmation. These groups have been especially effective in waging a misinformation campaign about what would happen if the court overturned Roe v. Wade. As a result, the confirmation process is expected to be very contentious and largely centered around the issue of abortion.
"As we've already seen, the pro-abortion side is making this all about Roe v. Wade,” said Greg Schleppenbach to the Catholic News Agency (CNA). “It will clearly be contentious on that issue alone and perhaps others. But certainly, the other side has been making Roe vs. Wade a central issue, if not the central issue, in this confirmation process."
The novena “presents an opportunity for us to educate the public on Roe v. Wade, and to urge them to pray for this very important intention [life] that transcends even this particular nomination,” he said.
"One of the things we know about public opinion, about public knowledge, is that there's a lot of misunderstanding about how radical Roe v. Wade is.”
Schleppenbach mentioned recent polls which indicate a majority of people in favor of keeping Roe in place; however, these polls have been cited for methodological issues that misrepresented the question to the public. On the other hand, correctly constructed polls find the opposite result with a majority of Americans not in favor of keeping the law that allows abortion on demand through the ninth month of pregnancy.
Those who sign up to participate in this Call to Prayer program will receive the day’s prayer intentions by email or text message. In addition to the current invitation to fast on Fridays, participants are asked to pray one Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be for the intention of the novena. They will also be provided with weekly opportunities to learn more about Roe v. Wade and share that information with their representatives in Congress.
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