AIDS, Abortion Protests Mark Pope’s N.Y. Visit
NEW YORK — Pope John Paul II’s activities on Saturday sparked the first serious protests of his trip to the United States.
Hundreds of demonstrators led by author Gloria Steinem and actress Olympia Dukakis marched from 42nd Street to 59th Street at Columbus Circle, calling for the Catholic Church to support abortion rights and the ordination of women as priests.
Police arrested four members of the group on charges of disorderly conduct.
In a separate march marked by angry words between protesters and police, AIDS activists displayed a three-story-high banner from the roof of a department store opposite St. Patrick’s Cathedral shortly before the Pope arrived to recite the rosary.
Police quickly removed the banner--which read, “Condoms Save Lives”--and arrested six of the protesters. All were charged with criminal trespassing and reckless endangerment.
Some parishioners who had waited long hours to see the pontiff expressed their displeasure with the demonstration.
“Jesus loves you!” a woman shouted at the activists, who shouted back, “Shame! Shame!”
Outside Central Park, 35 demonstrators from American Atheists also marched before the Pope’s Mass.
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