Boston

CATHOLICS ARE USED TO having people protest outside their churches. Because Catholics are one of the last socially acceptable objects of bigotry, it seems as though activist groups are always showing up at their churches. Gay and women’s rights groups make up the usual crowd, although these days it’s common to find hecklers there to beat up on Catholics for the priest sex-abuse scandals. However, today may mark the first time a Catholic church has been picketed by anti-abortion protesters.

Dozens of such protesters were gathered on Park Street in front of the Paulist Center an hour before Sunday’s 10:00 a.m. Mass. They strummed guitars, sang hymns, drew slogans on the sidewalk in chalk, and carried placards saying “Stop Killing My Generation” and “You CAN’T be Catholic & Pro-Abortion.” Some of the protesters hailed from Operation Rescue, other were from the American Life League. All of them were respectful and cheery as they stood in the morning sunshine, down the block from the Massachusetts statehouse.