OTTAWA, May 13, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The annual March for Life which took place in the nation’s capital Thursday, attracted more participants than ever before. The official count at 5,995 participants was, according to Campaign Life Coalition President Jim Hughes, mostly made up of youth who represented 60-70 per cent of participants.
On the beautiful sunny day, the energy and enthusiasm of thousands of youth were felt in the crowd, with banners representing different high schools proudly hoisted on poles for all to see. Several Members of Parliament and other dignataries addressed the crowd before the march commenced.
At the pro-life Mass which preceded the March, Ottawa Archbishop Marcel Gervais encouraged the overflow crowd at St. Patrick’s Basilica to provide an alternative to the culture of death. Peterborough Bishop Nicolas DeAngelis and Slovak Bishop John Pazak, concelebrated the Mass with dozens of priests.
Thursday evening over 500 guests attended the Rose Dinner with keynote addresses by Quebec City Cardinal Marc Ouellet and Carl Anderson, the international leader of the million-member Knights of Columbus .
On Wednesday a pre-march candle-light vigil held at the national human rights monument attracted the attention of the media and a small but rowdy group of pro-abortion protesters.
At the Campaign Life Coalition Youth conference which took place Friday, some 300 youth experienced invigorating music and talks from pro-life leaders and Members of Parliament.