ISLAMABAD: Pope Francis ushered in the New Year with a renewed appeal for the followers to reject abortion, calling for a “firm resolve” to protect and respect life from conception to natural death.
According to the Western media, in recent years, he has become more outspoken regarding abortion than at the beginning of his papacy, recently sparking outrage with his remarks in Belgium.
What did Francis say?
Pope Francis urged his followers to protect “the precious gift of life: life in the womb, the lives of kids, the lives of the suffering, the poor, the elderly, the lonely and the dying.”
“I ask for a firm resolve to respect the dignity of human life from conception to natural death, so that each individual may cherish his or her own life and all may look with hope to the future,” he added. He was using the phrasing that typically underlines the church’s opposition to abortion and assisted suicide.
Pope’s stance on abortion
DW reported that Francis, an Argentine Jesuit, has grown increasingly categorical regarding his opposition to abortion than at the start of his papacy.
According to AP, in 2013, he complained that the church had become obsessed with “small-minded rules” on issues such as abortion.
In September, he also courted controversy on a trip to Belgium by describing the country’s abortion law as “murderous.”
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo summoned the Vatican’s envoy and lambasted the comments as “unacceptable.”
