Group dressed in 'The Handmaid's Tale' costumes protest during mass at LA Cathedral
LOS ANGELES - A group of people protested during mass at the Our Lady of Angels Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles on Mother's Day.
The protesters dressed as characters from the Hulu Show, "The Handmaid's Tale." The show is about a totalitarian society where women are treated as property of the State. The group reportedly was protesting the Supreme Court's leaked draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade, and the Catholic Church's opposition to abortion.
Sal Vermiglio, a parishioner of the church, recorded the protest as the group was escorted out of the cathedral.
"I was in the back [of the cathedral] and Mass was going on. Everything was going fine. Then about three quarters of the way, right when they were about to bless the Eucharist, I saw a couple of gals get up and put on the red robes," said Vermiglio.
Vermiglio started recording the protest. He said the protesters blended in as parishioners at first.
"They came in with regular clothes, and they came in with backpacks, so they took their garbs out of their backpacks and they were sitting in the front. They were quiet," he said.
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However, the group began to put on their costumes, and security spotted them. They were escorted out of the cathedral quickly after interrupting Mass.
"There were people in the congregation that weren't having it (were upset by the protest) because they were interrupting the mass," said Vermiglio.
The Mass continued once the protesters left.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles released the following statement:
"Demonstrations had been anticipated across the country. The incident was handled accordingly by Cathedral Security ensuring limited disruption of Mass. We continue to join our prayers as an Archdiocese in solidarity with the US Catholic Bishops to pray for change in our laws to help all women in need in our communities."