On March 22, emerging leaders in the pro-life movement gathered at Live Action’s 2025 Young Leaders Summit to hear dynamic speakers in the pro-life space. One speaker was Fr. Ambrose Criste, a Norbertine priest from St. Michael’s Abbey in Orange County, California, who spoke to attendees of the need to “take up arms in the battle for life.”
“You all need to be warriors, because we are at war,” Fr. Criste told the crowd. His focus, he told attendees, would be discussing the reality of spiritual warfare in the fight against abortion, the demonic attacks against the family and life issues, and the connection between abortion, the culture, and the spiritual forces of darkness.
In emphasizing the reality of spiritual warfare, Fr. Criste said, “Demons exist and they hate what we’re doing here… they hate that you want to protect and defend the innocent. They hate that you defend the truth and they hate that you are willing to fight for the good things that God has given us.”
“But,” he said, “the good news is that the victory is already won in Jesus Christ.”
He reminded the crowd that although we know Christ wins in the end, in the meantime we are still in a battle. He likened that battle to a war between the earthly city of Satan and the heavenly city of God. It’s within that battle that we can see the demonic attacks on the family and life.
“The devil tries to divide people from one another and to interfere especially with family relationships,” he said. Every woman who finds her way into an abortion clinic is the victim of some kind of this diabolical interference in her relationships, he noted.
Fr. Criste further described the relationship between abortion and the demonic, saying, “Abortion is the sacrament of the forces of darkness.” That false ‘sacrament’ serves as a mockery of Christ’s sacrifice of himself for the salvation of mankind.
Finally, he issued a call to action to attendees to go forth in the battle for life.
“The biggest problem in our spiritual war today is our culture’s nearly complete denial of the presence of demons at all. The denial of sin goes along with that denial…. One thing you can do when you go home today is to start to preach this truth that we are at war,” he said.
“The Lord is asking you to be an evangelist, a warrior, a witness… Our biggest struggle of this war is our struggle against sin and temptation. That’s your place to fight.”
He added, “Our power comes from life in Jesus Christ… Do your duties according to your state in life with the love that our Blessed Lord is pouring into your hearts right now.”
