Hundreds of lives saved at one of Europe’s finest pro-life vigils 

By Robert Colquhoun
Director of International Campaigns 

Paula just got back from the circus. A special trip for the mothers who chose life for their unborn children at 40 Days for Life campaigns in Portugal was like being in heaven. Paula really takes care of the families, and now many of the children are baptized. Enzo is now ten years old as a save from one of the first campaigns. Every campaign Paula helps a litany of mothers who have been helped from their vigil site. 

Paula Pimentel is used to dynamic multitasking. A mother of 7, now with a grandchild, married for 28 years, a job as a lawyer, runs her own NGO, has also found time to organize 40 Days for Life campaigns in Lisbon for over 10 years. Paula’s sterling sacrificial work keeping this wonderful public witness continue means hundreds of mothers and children are alive because of her great team’s witness and sacrifice. 

Paula met her husband Javier in Fatima when she was 21. Fatima in Portugal is one of the largest Marian shrines in the world, where the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children in 1917. At law school, she wrote a pro-life treatise and her husband was a pro-life leader in Seville. 

Her vigil is at Clinica dos Arcos, the only freestanding abortion facility in Portugal where almost a third of all abortions in Portugal are committed. A 2007 referendum legalized abortion in the country up to ten weeks. Doctors have to be shipped in from Spain as a conscientious objector provision means many Portuguese doctors won’t do abortions. A pro-life pregnancy centre is right across the street with a chapel with the Blessed Sacrament in it with full time presence. In short, it’s the perfect location for a prayer vigil. But not everyone in Portugal is comfortable praying in the street. Those who are more shy go to pray in the chapel.

Paula read Abby Johnson’s book Unplanned which touched her deeply as she understood mercy and she felt that God was calling her to bring 40 Days for Life to Portugal.  Her first campaign in 2012 saw over 1,200 volunteers with every hour filled, zeal and graces galore as the team were on fire. Volunteers noted in the campaign diary how grace filled events happened every day at the vigil. Two times in Portugal, a mother who chose life at the vigil has gone onto help another woman at the prayer vigil choose life who was in a similar circumstance. A ten year old child helped save a child from abortion at the vigil. On at least one occasion she discovered a mother helped was actually pregnant with twins. 



But it has not always been rosy. In 2015 she felt like giving up and felt very lonely and discouraged. People would come and people would go. As a result, she felt tired, but somehow God kept sending her people at opportune moments to keep the witness going. When the initial zeal and passion wavered, the perseverance kicked in as she found a stronger team to support her. Volunteers have found their spiritual way to their vocation to religious life or marriage at the vigil. 

“If you want to save lives, and are not a doctor or fireman, you should be in 40 Days for Life” Paula says. She does not like complaining, as God wants her to live in this time and fight the good fight. Paula knows that now is the time God gave us. 40 Days for Life for Paula is a praying campaign to be next to the women in pain, trying to support women in need. Paula recognizes that we are also standing in public praying for the babies in the womb who will not be born alive. The pain after an abortion can be excruciating. 

During the covid era, there was even more of an opportunity to help clients as a queue formed outside the building, leading to further opportunities for conversations. On occasions, some of the mothers helped have been looking for a job, and on the campaign WhatsApp group they might have 3-5 offers within the day. God always provides. 

There were already people praying outside the abortion centre when she started the first campaign. Although the pro-life infrastructure is not that strong in Portugal, the Missionaries of Charity can also help with mothers, while Paula also runs a home for women in crisis pregnancies. This year one of the women who they thought was going to have an abortion turned out that she chose life. In 2023, Lisbon also hosted World Youth Day, a Catholic event for youth for 1.5 million people. 

Paula embodies many characteristics of what it means to be a great leader. She has hope, helping people find their spiritual way in a place of where often there is no hope. We need to allow God to work in and through us. Often we don’t see the spiritual fruits, we won’t see any results of our pro-life witness, but we go in trust and faith. She exhorts others to not give up with attempts of the prompts of distraction, discouragement or deflection from the devil. It is Jesus who gives Paula hope now, the time God gave us is now to go and make a difference and change the world.