Orthodox Christians in the United States have mobilised in impressive numbers at the most recent marches for life, demonstrating a growing commitment to the defence of human life starting from conception, according to RoLifeNews.
Hundreds of Orthodox faithful have participated this year in the Marches for Life from Washington, DC, San Francisco and Austin.
Hierarchs of various Orthodox Churches participate annually in the Washington, DC, March for Life, the largest pro-life event in the world, while Orthodox youth groups have become more involved lately.
The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America (ACOB-US), of which the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of the Americas is a member, was represented at the event by Auxiliary Bishop John of Worcester și New England (Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America).
Metropolitan Tikhon of the Orthodox Church in America and Bishop Andrei of Cleveland (The Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America) also attended the march held in Washington, DC, on January 24.
Emily Yocum, President of Orthodox Christians for Life (OCLife), announced that the number of Orthodox Christians who participated in this year’s Marches for Life has almost doubled compared to last year. The faithful and their hierarchs prayed before the events.
Expanding Orthodox pro-life initiatives
The OCLife representatives met in Washington, DC, with Metropolitan Tikhon, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, and offered His Beatitude an Orthodox painting representing the souls of the Holy Innocents killed by King Herod.
The San Francisco Walk for Life 2025, held on January 25, saw the largest-ever Christian Orthodox presence at a pro-life event on the American continent.
For the first time, Orthodox Christians for Life had an information booth at the march, where they disseminated materials and engaged in dialogue with participants from other Christian denominations.
We help ourselves by helping others
Attendance in these events requires intense preparation and coordination, but the effort is fully justified by their impact. They raise the visibility of the pro-life movement among the Orthodox faithful, facilitate fellowship among believers and publicly affirm Christian values, said Emily Yocum, according to RoLifeNews.
The OCLife President emphasized that the faithful need to be more involved in the pro-life movement, which will prove beneficial to Church members themselves.
Offering support through prayers and donations is essential for the movement to continue to grow and positively influence Orthodox communities. In the future, such initiatives will play an even more important role in reaffirming the Orthodox Church’s commitment to promote human life as a holy gift from God, she added.
History
OCLife was established in 1986 and it was relaunched in 2020. Today’s leader, Emily Yocum, has been active in the pro-life movement since she was a teen. As a Regional Coordinator for the West Coast at Students for Life of America, she was involved in pro-life education and raising awareness.
She also volunteered for pregnancy help centres and offered pro-life counselling in front of abortion clinics. Now she lives in the state of Washington with her husband and son and is pregnant with her second child.
The March for Life in Washington, DC, is a nationwide annual event held for 52 years in January, as a remembrance of the date when elective abortion was legalized at the federal level (January 22, 1973).
Marches for Life have recently started to be organised in every American state. The dates for each event and state are announced on Facebook by the March for Life Education and Defense Fund.
RoLifeNews is a new pro-life Romanian-English language website with daily updates. It was founded by the Bucharest-based România pentru Viață (“Romania for Life”) organization.
Foto credit: Facebook / Orthodox Chirstians for Life
