About 200 people gathered yesterday for a special Mass to commemorate the Feast of Holy Innocents at a cemetery housing the remains thousands of aborted fetuses in Hue province.

Father Peter Tran Van Quy, head of Caritas in Hue archdiocese, and six other priests concelebrated the Mass, during which attendees prayed for the souls of the dead and their parents.

“Today we come here to pray for the souls of aborted fetuses to be in heaven and to forgive their parents, and for those who have performed abortions so that they would recognize it is a crime against human beings,” said the priest during the Mass.

Fr Quy, 67, said that a local pro-life group has collected and buried about 45,000 aborted fetuses in the cemetery in the nearly two decades since the group began work.

He added that the group has also saved more than 1,000 babies from being aborted.

“We visit eight local private clinics, where we persuade pregnant women to stop their plan to have an abortion and provide them with accommodation, food and health care at Church-run homes until they give birth,” said a group volunteer who asked not to be named.

John Baptist Truong Van Nang, who looks after 5,000 tombs at the cemetery, said many people visit and offer incense and flowers on the tombs.

He added that he buries 45-50 aborted fetuses each week.