"To finally live up to and make real the words written in the sacred documents that founded this nation that all men and women are created equal. Endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. Among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
Notably absent on the final night of the convention was any discussion about abortion rights or reproductive justice, despite the Democratic Party's platform placing heavy emphasis on both, and calling for even more entrenchment of abortion access than the 2016 platform.
Fr. James Martin, S.J., who was one of the three faith leaders selected to pray at the closing of the convention, was the only person to mention "the unborn" during the four-day event.
Martin began his prayer requesting that people "open their hearts to those most in need," which included the unemployed, women being abused, "the LGBT teen who's bullied, the unborn child in the womb, the inmate on death row."
"Help us to be a nation where every life is sacred, all people are loved, and all are welcome," said Martin.
Also featured Thursday was a prayer by Sr. Simone Campbell, of the Sisters of Social Service, a Catholic religious community, and executive director of the Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, who declined to take a stand on the morality of abortion protections.
"Our agenda is the economic justice issues," she told CNA earlier this week, explaining that defending the rights of the unborn and opposing legal abortion "doesn't fit in economic justice, which is our mission."