Pope Francis has denounced abortion as “horrific”, describing it as part of a “throwaway culture” that has grown to encompass human beings themselves.
Speaking in his annual “State of the World” address, the Pope finally bowed to conservative Catholic demands that he break his silence on what they call “the evil of abortion”.
While he has never looked likely to change the Church’s position on the practice, Pope Francis has been much less willing to publicly rail against abortion in the same manner as his predecessors Pope Benedict XVI and the late John Paul II.
And in a landmark interview with the Italian Jesuit magazine Civilta Cattolica, he said it was time for the Church to be rid of its “obsession” with teachings on abortion, contraception and homosexuality.
But addressing diplomats in the Vatican yesterday, the Pope spoke about the rights of children around the world.
“It is horrific even to think that there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day,” he said.
Abortion, he said, was part of a “throwaway culture” that had enveloped many parts of the world.
“Unfortunately, what is thrown away is not only food and dispensable objects, but often human beings themselves, who are discarded as unnecessary,” he said. » | Adam Withnall | Tuesday, January 14, 2014
