As the nation’s Catholics prepare to commemorate unborn children in prayer, a U.S. bishop is pointing to the Jubilee Year as a time of hope for healing from the wounds of abortion.
On Jan. 22, the Catholic Church in the U.S. marks the annual Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. Since 2013, the U.S. Catholic bishops have also invited the faithful to join in the 9 Days for Life novena ahead of the day of prayer, with the goal of ending abortion. The novena begins Jan. 16.
The date of the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children’s annual observance recalls the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, which legalized abortion nationwide. Those rulings were overturned by the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which returned the issue of abortion from the federal to the state level.
In the wake of Dobbs, overall U.S. abortion rates appear to have increased slightly, with medication-induced abortions representing the majority (63 percent), according to the Guttmacher Institute. The same organization also noted that as of 2022, the annual global total for abortions was approximately 73 million.
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal describes the Jan. 22 day of prayer as a time to pray “for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life” and to undertake “penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion.”
That aim takes on an even deeper meaning as the universal Catholic Church celebrates the 2025 Jubilee Year, the theme of which is “Pilgrims of Hope,” said Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, Ohio, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities.
“As we prayerfully continue the essential work of restoring full legal protection of all preborn children and supporting parents facing difficult pregnancies, we also recognize our need for asking forgiveness and healing from the Lord for when we have given in to the culture of death,” said Bishop Thomas in a statement released by the USCCB Jan. 13.
The Catholic Church teaches that “human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception,” and that abortion “willed as either an end or means is gravely contrary to the moral law.”
Bishop Thomas said those who have been involved in abortion — which “inflicts deep and lasting wounds on society” and “more directly on individuals and families” — should recall that “no sin is beyond” the Lord’s “unfathomable mercy.”
“Jesus greatly desires our repentant hearts and invites us into an encounter with Him,” said Bishop Thomas in his statement. “For Catholics, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is always available for those seeking God’s forgiveness, hope, and peace.”
He noted that many who have been involved in abortion — some of whom have been “pressured or coerced” into ending the lives of their unborn children — experience an “often-silent grief” and “despair of being worthy of the love and forgiveness of God and others.”
“To the parents of children who have died by abortion, I am deeply sorry for your loss,” said Bishop Thomas in his statement. “Know that our Lord loves you as His daughters and sons no matter your actions.”
The Jubilee Year offers a fresh opportunity to trust in God’s mercy and to be healed in hope, said the bishop.
“As we celebrate this Jubilee Year as Pilgrims of Hope, Pope Francis invites us to experience God’s love ‘that awakens in hearts the sure hope of salvation in Christ’,” he said, quoting “Spes Non Confundit” (“Hope Does Not Disappoint”), the papal bull issued by Pope Francis in May 2024 announcing the 2025 Jubilee Year.
“Hope allows those who have been involved in abortion to turn to God and repent, confident that He will forgive and make them whole,” said Bishop Thomas.
“This January 22 and beyond, we need to be reassured that Jesus Himself, who is the source of our hope, was first wounded for our offenses, and suffered for every sin of ours, including abortion,” he said. “Please join me in praying that God will fill the hearts of mothers and fathers suffering the emotional and psychological wounds from abortion with the hope of forgiveness that only He can give.”
Bishop Thomas also invited those suffering from the wounds to abortion to “seek support from the Church’s compassionate and confidential ministries,” including the national Project Rachel Ministry, diocesan healing ministries and parish supports.
For more information on the “9 Days for Life” novena, including prayers in English and Spanish as well as a social media kit, visit https://www.respectlife.org/leaders-resources or https://www.respectlife.org/9-days-press-kit
For more information on Project Rachel Ministries for post-abortion healing, visit www.HopeAfterAbortion.org or www.EsperanzaPosAborto.org
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