Civil dialogue can lead to common ground

Only with prayer – prayer that storms the heavens for justice and mercy, prayer that cleanses our hearts and souls – will the culture of death that surrounds us today be replaced with a culture of life.”
        ~U.S. Catholic Bishops,
         Pastoral Plan for 
         Pro-Life Activities

The Archdiocese of Mobile has a tradition of young people journeying to Washington, DC, every January for the Rally and Mass for Life and the March for Life. Around 500 people attend from this area and is one of the largest groups in the U.S. Young people have marched in the cold, the rain and on occasion the snow. The importance of this event was enough to bring people from all over the country together to stand for life. There were even groups from other countries including Australia!
For four and a half years, I worked on the Rally and Mass for Life. This event brought around 20,000 young people together in Capital One Arena on the morning of the March for Life. The young people were very vocal in support of life and an end to abortion. Participants would arrive around 5:30 in the morning to stand outside the arena in whatever the weather had to offer so that they could show their support for the unborn. It was an amazing sight and I was blessed to be a part of the prayerful experience. To assist with the rally, the archdiocese had a youth leadership team. The team would help with the planning and execution of the event. They would encourage young people to share their witness to life on social media by running around the arena to visit with as many people as possible and then lead prayer from the stage. The team also recorded messages on why they stand for life which we would show on the jumbotron in the arena. When I saw the news about the overturning of Roe v. Wade, one of my first thoughts went to all of the people that have marched, prayed and spoken for the voiceless over the past 50 years. 
During my time working on the Rally and Mass for Life, we were working on ways to keep the pro-life message prominent throughout the year. Every day there are abortions. Every day there are young women afraid of how an unplanned pregnancy will impact their lives. Every day people have the opportunity to accompany people making difficult and seemingly impossible decisions on their future. Even though the Rally and Mass for Life was a strong statement, this message needed action in our communities. 
As we started what would be my last Rally and Mass for Life and due to Covid a virtual event, the director of the office of life issues and I started talking about civilizing the dialogue between people with differing beliefs. Conversations on difficult subjects are becoming impossible because nobody listens to the other perspective. It becomes easier to avoid difficult subjects in our lives and avoid challenging topics. Abortion is a topic that people might avoid because of the potential for an argument. By showing respect, the hope is through civil dialogue we can understand where a person is coming from and talk through our differences and find common ground. The more we have open and honest conversations, the more we can look for solutions and work towards a consistent life ethic on all life issues that value the dignity of each human life and promote a culture of life. Challenge yourself to invite a family member or friend that has a different view about an issue to have coffee and talk.
— Tex Phelps is the Director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Archdiocese of Mobile. He may be emailed at [email protected]
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