WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — A Catholic bishop who converted to the faith later in life and was not always pro-life gave a stirring sermon at the National Prayer Vigil for Life, noting abortion is the “greatest issue of the day” that must become “unthinkable.”
The remarks were given by Most Reverend James D. Conley, bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska, speaking to thousands of youth and others who gathered in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., on the eve of the 2026 March for Life.
Conley, who has spent the majority of his life as a priest and bishop supporting life, noted that “abortion is the greatest destroyer of peace in the world,” quoting St. Mother Teresa.
“She knew that abortion was the greatest issue of the day,” he said.
“No matter what happens politically,” said Conley, Catholics must “not abandon” mothers with children who need “help.”
He warned that, despite laws being passed for life in recent years, Catholics must not stand idle and continue to defend life.
“Our goal is not only make abortion illegal, our goal is to make abortion unthinkable,” he said to Mass attendees.
Abortion is a “direct and intentional discretion of human life at its fundamental level,” he warned. “Imagine if there were over a million murders each year through gun violence. Would we tolerate that?”
“Abortion is an attack on the family itself, which is meant to be a sanctuary of life,” he noted.
Conley noted in his homily that other “grave threats” to life and the human person include euthanasia, gun violence, the “death penalty,” terrorism, and human trafficking.
READ: Tens of thousands gathering for the National March for Life today in DC
“There are also the redefinition of marriage and gender,” he said, and suffering of migrants and refugees, as well as racism and care of “our common home.”
“But our brothers and sisters in the womb are the most vulnerable and most voiceless of victims,” he said.
Conley, while saying the overturn of Roe v. Wade was a good start, called out the “millions” of “chemical abortions” taking place in the United States each year, saying they must end.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, last year, Bishop Conley of Lincoln became the fourth prominent Catholic prelate in the United States to denounce left-wing Cardinal Blase Cupich’s decision to bestow a “Lifetime Achievement Award” on pro-abortion, pro-LGBT Democratic U.S. Senator Dick Durbin. He said he was “shocked and bewildered.”
Thousands gather for vigil Mass and prayers on eve of March for Life
Thursday evening saw thousands of pilgrims gather in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., to join in prayer for an end to abortion.
The National Prayer Vigil for Life began with a Mass, whose chief celebrant was Bishop Conley, at which he delivered his pro-life sermon.
Giving opening remarks at the Mass was Cardinal Robert McElroy, the heterodox archbishop of Washington who is not without controversy. He began by welcoming delegates from many religious orders, as well as a contingent of Orthodox priests and bishops.
Apostolic Nuncio Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Vatican’s ecclesiastical ambassador to the United States, read a letter on behalf of Pope Leo XIV, noting that the Pontiff stressed respect for life at “all stages.”
“May Jesus, who promised to be with us always, accompany you today, as you courageously and peacefully march on behalf of unborn children,” Leo said in his letter.
“By advocating for them, please know that you are fulfilling the Lord’s command to serve him in the least of our brothers and sisters.”
Pierre then noted that Leo imparted his “apostolic blessing” on all marchers.
The prayer vigil ran until 8:00 a.m. Friday to kick off the 2026 March for Life.
READ: Arrested in DC: Rescue Resurrection protesters plead with Trump, Vance, RFK Jr. to ban abortion pill
Bishop Conley: ‘I have not always been pro-life’
In his homily, Bishop Conley noted that he has been coming to the March for Life for decades since his seminarian days, noting it is like a “shot in the arm” to be among youth who “share a passion and joy” for the gift of life.
He was not always on board with life, however.
“I have not always been pro-life. I didn’t grow up Catholic, or have the benefit of Catholic education,” he noted.
He recalled when Roe v. Wade came down in 1973, “we were taught that the fetus was just a blob of tissue. A mass of cells.”
“Abortion really didn’t seem like a big deal to me,” he said.
Conley said that his views of abortion began to change after a friend of his, whose girlfriend became pregnant, asked him and his friends to “chip in” some money so that they could “take care of the problem.”
“I do remember feeling deep down inside of me that there was something wrong with all of this. I didn’t know what, and I didn’t know why,” he told Mass attendees.
Conley recalled how he had known his friend’s girlfriend since middle school, and that he felt sad for her and his friend for a “long time.”
Later in life, while in college, he said that being exposed to art, music, and history led him to “[discover] truth” and beauty as well as the Catholic Church, which he said is “Truth.”
Conley got baptized and confirmed in college and then obtained a copy of Humanae Vitae. After he read it, “now I knew why I felt so uneasy and sad in high school.”
“For the first time I saw that human life was a mysterious gift from God,” he said, noting that “human sexuality has a unique sacredness and beauty.”
Conley said that God’s plan for him meant he looked at the world through a Catholic lens, noting how his eyes were open, which later led him to become a priest. He was appointed a diocesan pro-life director shortly after being ordained.
LifeSiteNews is on the ground for the 2026 March for Life, which will once again see Vice President JD Vance address America’s largest annual gathering of pro-lifers. The March for Life Rally and Concert goes from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with the March for Life starting immediately after.
