A Michigan Monk who was arrested with five other individuals for praying in a common area of an office building is taking his fight to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Matthew Connolly, a pro-life monk was arrested on April 23, 2022 in Southfield, Michigan after praying in a building that housed the Northland Family Planning Center abortion clinic.
According to the police report, Connolly never entered the facility but was arrested for praying 500 feet down the hall from the clinic in the common area of the building. Officers described Connolly’s actions as “peaceful” and noted that he carried nothing but a rosary.
Connolly was arrested and charged with 3 misdemeanors, including “interference with a business” and a local ordinance criminalizing “annoyance” in a public space.
He was offered a plea deal in which he would have been sentenced to probation with a condition that would have prevented him from engaging in any pro-life speech within 500 feet of an abortion clinic in the country. He refused and was sentenced to 90 days in jail.
His Attorney, Erin Mersino has said that this case is not just about Mr. Connolly, instead it is about “whether the government can silence pro-life Americans and criminalize public prayer.
If prayer can be prosecuted, preaching can be banned. Silence now will only embolden government suppression of faith-based expression.
We are asking the United States Supreme Court to do what the Constitution already demands — protect the right of Americans, especially those who advocate for the sanctity of life, to speak freely, assemble peacefully, and pray publicly.”
