Pro-Abortion Speaker at World Youth Day?

From TheFactIs.org's "Friday Fax":

Pro-Abortion Speaker's Status at World Youth Day Unknown

August 18, 2005

There was a flurry of international activity last week regarding speculation that Eveline Herfkens, a pro-abortion Dutch bureaucrat connected to the UN, would address World Youth Day in Germany. This was first reported by Catholic World Report and followed up by Lifesitenews.org. Tom Ward, president of the Catholic Family Association of Great Britain, spent a part of last week alerting American and other pro-life leaders of the impending speech by Herfkens. Human Life International, the Virginia based pro-life group, sent letters to the Vatican and to the Apostolic Nuncio in Germany. Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM), publisher of the Friday Fax, sent an email alert that resulted in thousands of complaint emails directed to Cardinal Meisner of Cologne, Germany, host of World Youth Day.

In the end it is unclear whether Herfkens spoke at World Youth Day or at a loosely connected event. Human Life International received a letter from the German Nuncio who said Herfkens was not scheduled to speak at any official World Youth Day event. It is unclear from his letter whether she was uninvited or if her event was never a part of the official ceremonies. An email from a World Youth Day staffer said UN officials were speaking and said they may be pro-abortion but that the Church must reach out to all types.

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