DETROIT (LifeSiteNews) — Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit called on Michigan Catholics to join him in making reparation in a special way during the first two weeks of Advent in response to the state’s voters recently approving a constitutional amendment legalizing abortion up to birth.
In a letter to all Catholics of the Archdiocese of Detroit, Vigneron lamented the millions of unborn lives threatened now by the new Michigan amendment, Proposal 3. He called on the faithful to implore God’s mercy for “the great sin of abortion.”
“Abortion is now legal in Michigan at an unprecedented level,” the archbishop wrote, “and millions of lives are at stake. We must pray and ask God for his mercy upon us for allowing this evil to happen in our state.”
“For this reason, I want to invite all the faithful to join me in the first two weeks of Advent, from November 27 to December 9, in doing penance, giving alms, praying, and fasting. We must use these spiritual practices to make reparations for the great sin of abortion in our midst.”
The amendment passed on election day after Planned Parenthood and out-of-state billionaire George Soros poured millions of dollars into the campaign for the abortion amendment.
READ: Soros-backed constitutional amendment enshrines abortion up to birth in Michigan
As LifeSiteNews previously reported, Vigneron had sent a pastoral letter to all Catholics in the archdiocese exhorting the faithful to vote against the amendment since it “would allow unregulated abortion on demand through all nine months of pregnancy.” In September, Bishop Earl Boyea of Lansing called upon his diocese to join him in a 54-day novena, ending on the eve of the election, for the intention of defeating Proposal 3.
In Vigneron’s recent letter to the faithful, he urged Catholics to assist mothers in need and make abortion unthinkable. “We also renew our commitment to accompanying women and families in need, with greater resolve than ever,” he said. “This work is more critical now, as the unborn have been stripped of their basic right to life and their mothers face the harmful lie that the death of their children is a solution to their struggles.”
“In response to the passing of Proposal 3, we must step forward with no judgment, open arms, and effective resources to help women reject the ‘solution’ of death and empower them to choose life for their children.”
“We will continue our efforts to build a culture of life in which abortion is unthinkable, all families receive the support they need, and the dignity of all people is recognized. We do this with confidence in the ultimate victory of Christ, whose resurrection to life has defeated the powers of death.”
Vigneron has joined his voice to several other outspoken bishops in opposition to a wave of several extreme abortion measures that passed the ballot this fall.
In California, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone reaffirmed the primacy of abortion as the most pressing moral issue of the day and called on Catholics to renew their efforts to support both mother and child. “The most urgent crisis today,” Cordileone said, “is the attack on life in the womb, and the lack of support for women who are in need to be able to make a choice for life.”
Michigan joined California and Vermont in November in enshrining a “right” to abortion through a constitutional amendment.
As a practical way of working to promote life, Vigneron encouraged Catholics to join pro-life apostolates within the diocese. The archbishop especially noted the work of Walking with Moms in Need (WWMIN) and Project Rachel as important ministries for assisting mothers in need of resources or in need of healing from having had an abortion.
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