ME AND MY MOSTRA

For about three months I carried a large board with pro life pictures.
The pictures were from the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform and Priests for Life websites.

I would find a carton outside one of the shops and stick the coloured pictures upon it.I would place a cord between the carton so that I could hang it on my shoulder and walk comfortably.
Since I walk a lot and rarely use the public transport this was  ideal for me to get the message across.A live advertisement.
I was really moved seeing the pictures of abortions on the two websites. Unlike the USA there was no pro life activism in Rome.Abortions are done in Italian hospitals for free.
Once a year the Human Life International would have a pro life demonstration alongwith other groups. And the second time in the same year,along with Militia Christi, near the Church over the Tiber river near Trastevere.A few times I joined them at Trastevere and once opposite St.Mary Majors along with other groups but without my board.They have conditions for the posters brought there.
I began my 'operation' at the Church of Santo Spirit in Sassia, near the Vatican.I went there in front of the bus stop and stood there for a few hours in the morning praying my rosary.
I did not consider this a protest or a demonstration. I thought it was educational.
My board said: 'Abortions kill children'  and 'You can have an abortion here'.
Objective! Factual!Nothing more.The photos said everything.
I would walk to church with my 'mostra'(exhibition) and also to the libraries.
I would walk through the Roman Forum and along the main streets of Rome.
I would walk casually not trying to get people to see the mostra.
If someone was interested I would tilt the board.
It was interesting to see the reactions of people. One woman cried. Another felt terrible she said about her son whom she killed.
Another lady came up to me and said that abortions were not like this. She had a few abortions she said. Apparently she was referring to the late term abortion pictures. Young tourists girls quipped among themselves I don't know from where he got the pictures.
At some Churches I was not allowed to bring the mostra inside.Likewise at some libraries.
I lost some mostras to rain.And would make new photo copies of the website pictures.At other times the carton would wear out and so I had to change it.It was cheap since I had only to pay for coloured photo copies of the website pictures.
I think I exposed  those pictures and the message to thousands of people and did it in a very civil and polite way.For many people, including Catholic religious, it was the first time that they saw abortion like it.
I could not get people to accompany me. Even among religious who approved. When I would go to the Angelicum University for Eucharistic Adoration they would ask me to turn my board around.
So I would turn the board around and then go in.

Nothing has changed  here. There are over 1,30,000 Italians killed every year through abortion and the newspapers consider it O.K. But when an Italian is killed in Aghanistan,it is all over the front page and the story is reported for a few days.