Southpinellas: Abortion foes target church

ST. PETERSBURG - Randall Terry says he just wanted to make a statement that would grab people's attention. So he decided to create a satirical pamphlet that compares politicians who support abortion rights to politicians who support slavery.

The title: "Real Solutions for the 'Negro Problem.'" The argument: Voting for politicians who support abortion rights is equivalent to supporting murderers.

Turns out, a local Catholic Church didn't find the satire amusing. And when two members of Terry's organization returned to pass out pamphlets at the Cathedral Church of St. Jude the Apostle on Sunday, despite being told to leave by church officials, they ended up behind bars on trespassing charges.

On Tuesday, several members of Terry's group returned to the sidewalk directly in front of St. Jude's. This time, they were protesting the church's decision to kick them out and call the police.

"It's our duty as Catholics to promote the pro-life message and encourage Catholics to vote pro-life," Terry said outside the church Tuesday, the 35th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion.

The showdown began Sunday afternoon in the parking lot of St. Jude's at 5815 Fifth Ave. N. Several members of Terry's organization, the Society for Truth and Justice, were passing out pamphlets. Joseph Landry, 26, said he spoke to church officials who told him to leave.

Landry says he asked church officials not to call police, but that they did anyway. Police told Landry and other members of Terry's group that they could be arrested if they returned. They complied.

But on Sunday evening, after Landry and Terry's wife, Andrea, 32, returned to pass out more fliers, police arrested them on charges of trespassing after a warning.

"I should be like the poster child for young Catholics doing pro-life work," he said. "I pleaded with them St. Jude's to not call police. They said no. The cops still came."

St. Jude's did not respond to a request for comment. But police spokesman Bill Proffitt said that "the church felt that it was too much of a hate message."

"Should a Christian vote for a racist who supports segregation? No! Then how can a Christian vote for a candidate that supports the murder of children by abortion?!"

Terry says his group has passed out the pamphlets at churches in Kansas, Iowa, New Hampshire and Florida without incident. St. Jude's is the first church that has called police, Terry said.

"It's political satire," he said. "It's a shot at Rudy (Giuliani) and Hillary (Clinton) and all pro-abortion candidates."

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Comments on this article

by DM	01/23/08 09:57 PM
Wow Barbara that is a real balanced and rational approach. What would you do with criminals that hurt people or kill unborn children? These people while obnoxious to some certainly did not harm anyone much less an inocent human life.

by bloboftissue	01/23/08 07:57 PM
Rickster, I agree that churches must take care to avoid telling members whether to vote or not vote for specific candidates. But I don't think the IRS can take away tax-exempt status based on moral teachings that members use to make voting decisions

by Barbara	01/23/08 02:48 PM
These people are nuts. They need to go away, but since they won't, prison is the next best thing. Too bad we can't send them to Abu Graib.

by J	01/23/08 01:49 PM
This is NOT the Catholicism I grew up with! Those people were asked to leave & rightly arrested. It naturally got the attetion of the press & gave Mr. Terry exactly what he wanted; more media coverage.

by j	01/23/08 01:46 PM
Get used to it. I have had numerous posts censored. The St Pete Times is no longer my website of choice for local information.

by Rickster	01/23/08 01:35 PM
Their political actions is what the Church needs to fear. If the church is involved in telling people who to vote for, they will lose their tax exempt status from the IRS. They were right to toss them from the property. These clowns should know that.

by JT	01/23/08 11:43 AM
You censored my comments supporting a pro-life position and sonograms but allow a 'then the heard' comment about the protesters who were not physically harming anyone even though they were not respectful of private property. What a sad commentary SPT

by Joseph	01/23/08 11:19 AM
Their message is accurate but they were on private property and had been asked to leave and could have done their work elsewhere. Why would they return and allow themselves to be arrested? That is the key question here people.

by arlene	01/23/08 11:15 AM
and how many unwanted, abused children have these "saint's" adopted to date? they want the kids here but do not lift a finger to support or help them in life!!talk about hypicites!!!!!

by Lisa	01/23/08 10:57 AM
Maybe I don't understand satire, but as a recipient of one of those fliers on my windshield Saturday I found nothing amusing about it. For Christians, their choice of "satire" was not very Christlike. They have a valid message but poor delivery.

by David	01/23/08 10:49 AM
Mimi and fellow fundamentalist believers support of Randall Terry is why I stayed away from the Catholic Church for so many years. It is ironic that she invokes WWJD because I don't think JC would be killing doctors and harassing young mothers.

by JAE	01/23/08 10:48 AM
The Catholic Church doesn't need Terry's "help" to get its message out. Especially when he does it in his typically offensive and reprehensible manner. Have we forgotten his conduct in the Schiavo case. Big help there too, as usual. Just go away.

by Frank	01/23/08 10:32 AM
This event only further proves the hypocrisy of the Catholic church in America today.

by Richard	01/23/08 10:19 AM
Hey Mimi, do an internet search on Randall Terry. The man was kicked out of his own church (he was the pastor) he's not even catholic for UNSCRPTUAL BEHAVIOR. The man is a real pice of garbage. I say good for calling the cops.

by Mari	01/23/08 09:19 AM
It has nothing to do with the message. They weren't wanted on private property. They wouldn't leave and kept coming back. The cops had to be called. I feel this article is very one sided.

by Mimi	01/23/08 09:07 AM
As a pro-life Catholic I am ashamed of the church.Terry's message is true.Too many churches are afraid of offending their anti life members.Its about money.Hey St. Jude's pastor WWJD?

by chris	01/23/08 09:05 AM
When is this idiot going to snap and start shooting obstetricians? He is a nut job. He is a good argument for abortion. Sometimes you have to thin the herd to preserve the species so it doesn't water down. I thought this was a free country.

by Kay	01/23/08 06:44 AM
The IRONY here is that they need to get a LIFE!

by Pete	01/23/08 06:25 AM
Trespassing, then pleading for the aggrieved party not to call the police is like beating your wife, then pleading with her not to call the police. The law is the law. Don't whine to me. You're told to go away, then go away.

Abortion foes target church

The "satirical fliers" are too much for a Catholic church, which has two people arrested.