5/19/2015 Pope Francis and the Gospel of Life - Inside The Vatican

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Pope Francis and the Gospel ofLifeMARCH 1, 2014 BY WILLIAM DOINO JR

In the world this year, and even among the faithful, there has been a certainconfusionanduncertaintyovertheteachingofPopeFrancisonmoralissues,inpartbecausethemediahasdistortedortakenoutofcontextsomeofhiswords.Onlife,letssettherecordstraight

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5/19/2015 Pope Francis and the Gospel of Life - Inside The Vatican

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When the history of Jorge Bergoglios life is written, it will be unique in the annals of Catholichistory; for only a year into his pontificate, we can already see that this is a very special man, witha special mission. Among the Popes many gifts are his humility, his compassion and above all hislove and devotion to Jesus Christ. And if there is one thing which symbolizes all three, it is theHoly Fathers em brace of the Gospel of Life.

Among the first major acts of his pontificate was Franciss en dorsement of the right to lifemovement. Addressing a huge pro-life rally in Rome on May 13, 2013, Francis said: I greet theparticipants of the March for Life which took place this morning in Rome and invite everyone tostay focused on the important issue of respect for human life, from the moment of conception. Tounderscore that point, Francis personally joined the March himself in his popemobile, unitinghimself with the dedicated marchers.

Two months later, on July 17, ahead of the annual Day for Life in the United Kingdom and whensecular activists were making an aggressive push to expand abortion there Francis sent amessage to British and Irish Catholics, exhorting them to recognize the inestimable value ofhuman life.

He said of human beings: Even the weakest and most vulnerable, the sick, the old, the unbornand the poor, are masterpieces of Gods creation, made in his own image, destined to live forever,

5/19/2015 Pope Francis and the Gospel of Life - Inside The Vatican

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and deserving of the utmost reverence and respect.

In connection with that appeal, Francis made it a point to call on legislators to reflect that respectin the laws of their land, praying that the Day for Life will help to ensure that human life alwaysreceives the protection that is its due, so that everything that breathes may praise the Lord.

On September 20, in an address to Catholic physicians, Francis characterized abortion as aproduct of a widespread mentality of profit, the throwaway culture, which has today enslaved thehearts and minds of so many. That attitude, he said, calls for the elimination of human beings,above all if they are physically and socially weaker. Our response to that mentality is a decisive andunhesitating yes to life.

Francis then described how vulnerable the unborn were, linking their situation to Christ Himself:Every unborn child, though unjustly condemned to be aborted, has the face of the Lord, who evenbefore his birth, and then as soon as he was born, experienced the rejection of the world. Themeaning of these words was unmistakable: Francis was saying that those who abort unbornchildren symbolically reject God Himself, along with His precious creations.

On January 13 of this year, in a prime address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See,Francis continued his powerful pro-life witness, describing abortion as horrific, saying it isfrightful even to think there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day.Just a week later, however, the pontiff demonstrated how pro-lifers can counter that evil, sendinga strong message of support to the March for Life in Washington DC: I join the March for Life inWashington with my prayers. May God help us respect all life, especially the most vulnerable.(From the Popes Twitter account, January 22, 2014).

Franciss consistent and overwhelming witness to the Gospel of Life is not new; nor is it a merely aperfunctory way of acknowledging Catholic teaching. A decade ago, when he was the archbishop ofBuenos Aires, Pope Francis gave one of the strongest pro-life sermons ever heard, defending life atevery stage of its existence, and declaring that followers of Jesus Christ should bear witness to thistruth, even in the face of persecution andevenifthreatenedwithdeath.

Below, is a translation of this little-known but extraordinary sermon, revealing how Francis pro-life convictions flow from the very heart of his faith in Christ, and should serve as a model forfaithful Christians everywhere.

FILED UNDER: NEWSTAGGED WITH: MAR2014