Priests, nuns, other pro-lifers rally at Philadelphia March for Life despite leftist protesters

PHILADELPHIA (LifeSiteNews) — Over 150 pro-lifers rallied on the streets of Philadelphia for the unborn this weekend for the city’s annual March for Life.

On April 25, pro-lifers from across the Delaware Valley, including priests, nuns, and several energized young people, braved the chilly morning and loud pro-abortion protesters along the way to witness to the unborn by marching over a mile from the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul to Independence Hall, the building where the United States’ Declaration of Independence was signed, where a rally was held. Several pro-life leaders and marchers emphasized to LifeSiteNews the importance of “being a show of force” for the unborn in the left-wing city of Philadelphia.

Christopher Pushaw, the president and chief operating officer (COO) of the Pro-life Union of Greater Philadelphia, who organized the March, told LifeSite that it’s important for pro-lifers to continue to make their voices heard in the overwhelmingly left-wing city because of their “symbolic power,” especially in concluding at Independence Hall.

“There’s a value to showing people, even when we’re under attack, and even when we’re embattled, and even when the courts aren’t breaking right, and even when the Abortion Control Act is threatening to be dismantled in the Assembly, I think it’s important to testify to the value of life in the shadow of Independence Hall, and to remind everyone that the most fundamental right of all is the right to life,” he said.

Indeed, just last week, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled 4-3 that the “Abortion Control Act,” a longstanding state ban on taxpayer funding of abortion, violates the state constitution, declaring that abortion, the murder of an unborn child in his or her mother’s womb, is a “right.”

READ: Pennsylvania court declares is a ‘right,’ blocks taxpayer funding ban

Should this ruling stand, it will dramatically expand abortion-on-demand in the Keystone State, where abortion is already legal up to 24 weeks (or about 5 1/2 months) into pregnancy, with exceptions allowed for so-called threats to the life of the mother up until birth. Abortion is never actually medically necessary to protect the mother.

During the march, the pro-lifers passed the notorious “Philadelphia Women’s Center” on 777 Appletree St., known simply as “777” by locals, and were greeted by screaming pro-abortion leftists on the sidewalk. Pushaw stressed the importance of passing this abortuary, the “front lines” of the battle to defend the unborn.

“To fight a battle, you have to know your opponent, and that brings it front and center, and kind of viscerally reminds you … at the end of the day, it’s one heart, one mind, one baby at a time,” he said.  “And those are really the front lines and the last lines of the battle.”

WATCH: Leftists scream at Catholics praying rosary in front of notorious abortion center

Pushaw also urged all pro-lifers to consider getting involved with sidewalk counseling or perhaps making donations to mothers in need, and for those in the Philadelphia area to visit Prolifeunion.org for more information on local efforts to end abortion in the City of Brotherly Love.

Giovanni Ciraulo, a volunteer with the Pro-life Union, told LifeSite that this march and similar events are important to show that pro-lifers aren’t afraid to witness to the unborn.

“We need to show that we’re not afraid… we’re not afraid to represent Our Lord, we’re not afraid to fight (for) the unborn. If we are (and we) just stay home… they’ll run roughshod over us,” he said. “So, as much as (this battle is) always spiritual, it’s always about God’s grace, it’s also a show of force for the unborn.”

Ciraulo encouraged pro-lifers, especially young people involved in the movement, to be informed about the evil of abortion and to learn how to answer “strawman” pro-abortion arguments. He also highlighted the often-overlooked importance of praying for the unborn.

“(St. Louis De Montfort) said that a single Hail Mary is more powerful than an emperor’s thousand armies. So if you really internalize that and change your spiritual life and incorporate prayer into every day of it, it’s going to have material effects on this world,” he said. “And as Catholics, we need to remember that. Prayer is not just an internal thing; it also has real temporal effects on the world around us.”

READ: Hundreds join first-ever March for Life in Pittsburgh: ‘If we don’t witness, babies die in silence’

Joseph Aquilante, a teacher in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, underscored that these marches are important because they help the voices of the pro-life movement to be heard and noted that several individuals, including a gentleman from the Netherlands, joined the post-March rally because they heard the passion of the pro-lifers and wanted to be a part of the event.

“You have 150, 200 people that show up here today on fire for life… It’s engaging, and it brings other people in,” he said. “So it’s so important that we continue to fight this good fight.”

One young man who will be attending Notre Dame University in the fall told LifeSite it’s essential for all pro-lifers, but especially young people, to come out and fight for both women and babies.

“It’s a bleak world right now, almost one-third of my generation (Gen Z) has almost been killed because of abortion,” he said. “So we have to fight to end… the atrocity of abortion.”

He added that young Catholics in particular need to “fight the good fight” because, as Pope Leo said at the 2025 National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC), young people are not only the future but also the present.

“We have to take the reins now to fight the good fight and be involved in this movement and this spiritual battle.”

Another march participant, Nancy from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, told LifeSite that she came out to the March to help people realize that abortion is a “horror” and a “tragedy.”

“I’m here to witness, to try and help people think about (abortion). To realize that this is not just cells and it’s not just nothing, that it’s actually a baby,” she said.

To learn more about the Pro-Life Union of Greater Philadelphia, or to volunteer, click here.