Priests for Life Unleashes Grassroots Blitz

Organization’s efforts include, travel by Priests, ads in Catholic and Spanish language newspapers, radio ads, mailings and Catholic network programming.

(Staten Island, NY)… In the final two weeks of the 2000 elections, Priests for Life, the Catholic association which assists clergy of all denominations to address the abortion issue, is stepping up its grassroots campaign to inject the abortion issue into the election.

Priests for Life will continue its unprecedented "Campaign for Life 2000" with an aggressive travel schedule by the organization's priests, print ads in Catholic Diocesan newspapers, as well as targeted full-page ads in Spanish language newspapers, and national radio ads. The organization recently sent a mailing to every one of the 50,000 priests in the nation encouraging them to use their pulpits to deliver the message about political responsibility and abortion. A phone bank has been established to place follow-up calls to these priests, urging them to preach passionately and get out the vote in the next 14 days. In addition, between now and the election, the organization will send out several "High-Priority" fax messages to over 14,000 parishes in the country, asking pastors to insert various voter educational materials in their bulletins.

The organization will also air a one-hour special on Political Responsibility four times during the week prior to the elections, entitled "The Catholic Vote: Responsible and Prayerful." The program will be shown on the world's largest religious cable network, EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network), which is broadcast into 55 million American homes, on Oct. 29 (8pm ET), Nov. 2 (1:30pm), Nov. 3 (3am and 10pm). Priests for Life's TV commercials will also be shown the week immediately prior to the election on the Odyssey network, which is broadcast into 33 million homes.

In September, Priests for Life launched a television advertising campaign, running ads in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Kansas City, MO. In addition, the organization has taken out full-page ads in the New York Times and USA Today in an unprecedented effort to deliver its message to voters, candidates and elected officials.

Fr. Frank Pavone stated, "As we have said on television, radio, and in print, if an elected official can't respect the life of a little baby, neither can he respect ours. We are pleased that so many bishops have publicly stated the central importance of the abortion issue in this campaign. Furthermore, a wide range of Christian and human values are at stake in this election, because Supreme Court Justices who will be appointed in the coming years will likely judge more cases related to religious freedom, gay rights, and the rights of the family. If there were ever a time to get out and vote, it's now."

For more information, or to interview Father Pavone, please contact Adam Bromberg at (703) 683-5004 x102.