VILNIUS, Lithuania — More than 1,000 pro-life advocates gathered in Vilnius on Sept. 26 for the country's second March for Life, braving cold winds, morning rain, and autumn fog to affirm the dignity and value of every human life.
Families, students, and older people joined a warmly spirited program of personal testimonies, hopeful speeches, and musical performances celebrating life.
The march took place amid continuing political debate in Lithuania over family policy and declining birth rates. Lawmakers also remain divided over reproductive legislation, including access to abortion and in vitro fertilization.
Organizers stressed that the event sought to move beyond abstract slogans and political declarations by focusing on the realities of family life. Speakers addressed motherhood, fatherhood, and the challenges posed by child loss, disability, illness, and old age.
Throughout the march, participants and speakers affirmed the equal dignity of every person — especially unborn children — regardless of health, age, or ethnicity.
Saulius Karosas, a father, illustrated that conviction by describing how welcoming children with special needs reshaped his family's outlook. After their fourth child, Iva, was born with Down syndrome, the family adopted Motiejus, a boy with the same condition. Karosas said embracing the children transformed the family's understanding of human worth and beauty and how they recognize the value of others.
Courage and perseverance
The event also drew pro-life advocates from across Europe and the Americas. Featured speakers included Agnese Irbe, OFS, founder of Latvia's Peripatos Philosophers' Association; Marcin Perlowski, director of the Polish pro-life foundation Centrum Zycia i Rodziny; and Patricia Sandoval, an international pro-life speaker and co-host of EWTN's "Informe Provida."
Sandoval described the Vilnius march as deeply moving. "I was impressed by the zeal of the youth that attended the march," she told EWTN News, noting that they were "on the front line." She recalled the peaceful atmosphere, in which participants sang "hymns and songs of joy," and praised the event as "very well organized."
Sandoval, who shared her testimony of undergoing three abortions and later working for Planned Parenthood, said speaking in Vilnius held particular significance. "Vilnius is the city of mercy," she said, describing the opportunity to share her story as "a very emotional and very exciting moment."
Offering spiritual encouragement to participants, Sandoval urged advocates to remain strong regardless of political outcomes. "Remain steadfast, persevere, and be faithful to do his will," she said.
From Christian witness to practical help
Speaking to EWTN News, Archbishop Gintaras Grušas of Vilnius said he hoped the event would help "a culture of life grow in Lithuania" — one in which every "human being is welcomed as a gift from the very beginning of life."
For Grušas, that culture must be experienced concretely. "I would be especially glad to see a practical change," he said, so that "a woman who feels anxious about her pregnancy knows where to turn, finds someone who will listen, and receives the support she needs." He also said he hoped "families feel supported by their communities, employers, and public institutions."
"We build a culture of life through many everyday decisions," he said. In a city known as the "City of Mercy," he added: "I hope mothers, children, and families will increasingly experience that mercy here."
The archbishop also pointed to the responsibility of men. "A man's steady presence can make an enormous difference," he said, describing fatherhood as beginning before a child is born through "supporting the mother, listening to her, sharing her concerns, and preparing together to welcome the child."
Grušas cited St. Joseph as a model of quiet responsibility. "He speaks no words in the Gospels, yet his care for Mary and Jesus is unmistakable."
He described the march as "Christian witness with a civic dimension," saying Catholics can participate in public life while seeking the common good. "We must keep in view both the dignity of the unborn child and the real needs of the mother," he said, calling for public conversation "grounded in respect and followed by practical help."
Builders of a culture of life
Archbishop Kestutis Kevalas of Kaunas told EWTN News at the march that building a culture of life requires men to embrace their roles as "fathers, leaders, and providers." He urged them to take an active part in their children's religious upbringing and formation.
That responsibility, he said, belongs to every Christian. Too often, people assume that "somebody else will do this" rather than recognize that "we are the people who need to take personal responsibility in creating the culture of life."
For Kevalas, this means fostering "prayer groups, family movements, and also the consciousness of the culture of life." Christians, he added, are called to become "collaborators of God" in transmitting life and the Gospel of Life.
Asked what most threatens a culture of life, the archbishop pointed beyond individual social trends to "the faith problem." The deeper question, he said, is whether people understand that "we are given the gift of life" and are called to give others "the possibility of life."
He also warned against a materialistic mindset in which families "count the cost" of having children primarily in material terms. Greater trust in God, he said, can foster "a culture of trust and encouragement."
Ultimately, he called Catholics to reject passivity. "We need to be not those who are just looking or observing life, but ones creating life and building the culture," he said. He compared this vocation to that of the builders of medieval cathedrals, who laid foundations they would never see completed, trusting that their work would contribute to "a beautiful creation."
