SW News: Catholic churches in Bolivia are once again under attack by pro-abortion and radical feminist groups. The Cathedral Basilica of St. Lawrence in the country was recently attacked by feminist groups while Holy Mass was being celebrated. The attack on the church took place a few days after 100 people damaged the headquarters of the Bolivian Bishops’ Conference in La Paz.

Radical feminists and pro-abortion groups have demanded that abortion be decriminalized in the country. The feminist groups also accused the Catholic Church of counseling an 11-year-old girl who became pregnant after being raped and making her refrain from undergoing an abortion. The Mochas Copleras feminist group attacked the parish of San Roque in the Diocese of Tarija for assisting the young pregnant girl, who is currently sheltered at a Catholic institution.

In the Archdiocese of La Plaza, the Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians, and the Señor de la Exaltación parish were vandalized by feminist groups who painted offensive phrases. Another church in Santa Cruz was spray-painted with blasphemous slogans.

Radical feminist groups are enraged at the Catholic Church for supporting and counseling the minor girl who now wants to give birth to her child. They have further accused the Church of ‘torturing’ two persons-the minor and her unborn child-as they have to live with a stigma.

According to Victor Hugo Valda, the episcopal delegate for Health of the Archdiocese of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, "Now they even criticize us for offering, for materially helping the girl with a home, education, medicine, psychological treatment.”

The only thing the Church did was to appear at the hospital so that the voice of the girl and the mother would be respected, who, as we knew, did not want to interrupt the pregnancy, and because, furthermore, forcing her to have an abortion is a crime. The Church was present for this and to ask about the condition of the girl and the unborn baby,” he added.