Pope slams ‘throwaway culture’ of abortion

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pope francis -end warsPope Francis on Monday called abortion “horrific” and said it was part of a new “throwaway culture” he said wasted human life as easily as it wasted food — his strongest words yet on a practice that is a divisive political issue in the United States.

Until now, Francis has appeared to have stayed away from strong statements on the church’s stands on moral behavior of individuals, preferring to focus on more positive messages about the teachings of Jesus Christ and the need to see to the poor.

His comments during the start of his papacy that the church need not “obsess” about abortion and gay marriage bothered conservative Catholics who see the issues as ones that the church ought to object to strongly. On Monday, Francis put his own stamp on the church’s long-held opposition to abortion.

“It is frightful even to think that there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day,” Francis said in what has become a traditional annual address to the Vatican diplomatic corps.

The pontiff used blunt language on other topics as well, calling for the elderly and migrants to be treated with respect, and for children to be shielded from slavery, hunger and other types of exploitation.

Citing Latin Americans taking big risks to cross the border into the U.S., or Africans trying to reach Europe, he expressed sorrow for those who died before reaching their goal.

“We cannot be indifferent to those suffering from hunger, especially children, when we think of how much food is wasted every day in many parts of the world immersed in what I have often terms the throw away culture,” Francis said.

Father Alistair Sear, a retired church historian, said Francis is a man of firm opinion whether the topic be the favorite of liberals or conservatives.

“Nobody would say [Francis] shies away from controversy, but he is making a point of making strong statements on many of the modern church’s hot button issues,” Sear said.

People in Rome said they had already grown accustomed to Francis’ bold stances on issues and many thought he had made similar remarks in the past.

“This is the pope’s role, to protect human life and help explain and spread the church’s long held beliefs,” said Antonio Buzzanti, 55, a maintenance worker at a church just beyond the walls of the Vatican City.

Rosa Sella, 40, a Rome office manager, agreed: “If this is the first time he has used this kind of language then I am surprised,” she said. “But I am not surprised he said this. It’s the teaching of the church.”

Some conservative Catholic groups questioned whether Francis might be preparing to make some kind of change to the church’s teachings on abortion, after he told the Italian Jesuit magazine Civilya Cattolica the church should move beyond its “obsession” with polarizing teaching son abortion, contraception, and homosexuality, saying he preferred to practice mercy over condemnation.

That language is in contrast to remarks from Francis’ predecessors Benedict XVI and John Paul II, who regularly decried abortion from the pulpit, equating it with murder.

USA Today

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14 responses to “Pope slams ‘throwaway culture’ of abortion”

  1. Leborigine Avatar
    Leborigine

    I totally agree. Abortion is horrific and it does equate to murder. There are a lot of ways for men and women these days to avoid pregnancies and still enjoy a sexual life.
    Despite in reality that a lot of men do not get involved or are not in the picture but they should be equally responsible as the female and are as much at fault as well. The Catholic church eased up on contraceptives, so there should not be any excuses.
    People do not understand the physical and emotional pain a women goes through during an abortion, and that should be the message to be getting across. All that pain and guilt for 15 minutes of passion! Is it worth it?

    1. Abortion sometimes is a good thing. Nasty should’ve been aborted so should his god khameni.

    2. Fifteen minutes…? Boy that is short ;-))) But seriously, abortion is not different than murder.

  2. Leborigine Avatar
    Leborigine

    I totally agree. Abortion is horrific and it does equate to murder. There are a lot of ways for men and women these days to avoid pregnancies and still enjoy a sexual life.
    Despite in reality that a lot of men do not get involved or are not in the picture but they should be equally responsible as the female and are as much at fault as well. The Catholic church eased up on contraceptives, so there should not be any excuses.
    People do not understand the physical and emotional pain a women goes through during an abortion, and that should be the message to be getting across. All that pain and guilt for 15 minutes of passion! Is it worth it?

    1. Abortion sometimes is a good thing. Nasty should’ve been aborted so should his god khameni.

    2. Fifteen minutes…? Boy that is short ;-))) But seriously, abortion is not different than murder.

  3. 5thDrawer Avatar

    In Tripoli, there is an over-filled orphanage … many of whom were babies left lying in the street – unwanted. UNTIL everyone on the planet agrees to take care of all unwanted and forced pregnancies (from rape, for instance), and are also willing to force all women to go through the 9 months, (and allow women to die in childbirth – as the Priests used to wish when ‘woman or child’ was an option), it would be better to stick to the option of a legal abortion. Nice to know the Pope is handing out condoms these days. Anyone else?? Anyone supplying food and education needs at the orphanages??

    1. Maborlz Ez-Hari Avatar
      Maborlz Ez-Hari

      Abortion is murder, take it or leave it. Scientists discover life on mars in the form of bacterial cells but they dont consider a baby in the womb life. Why does this topic offend some people I will never understand.

      1. 5thDrawer Avatar

        Correct. We make a decision to kill many things every day. Hind would love to kill some cold bugs. 😉 I squished a spider today. These are things we decided we didn’t want. Destroying a life BEFORE it is even aware it exists seems a little better – and a more humane decision – than waiting to starve it to death a few months or years later.
        I IS a curiosity why the unborn baby has more ‘rights’ than the mother … although we have also witnessed, in various wars, the pregnant mother being shot or stabbed to death through the womb. The ‘shock value’ for the perpetrator is well known, as it seems more horrific to the ‘witness’ than if it was just the woman without child.
        How religion got into it is perhaps less a curiosity. But I am certain that even the occasional Buddhist has unwittingly driven a spade through a garden worm. People don’t kill him for that, if anyone discovers the mistake … he just goes to meditate on the vagaries of life. Sensible.
        But other people will kill a doctor (and make his/her kids orphans) for performing safe abortions. Very weird, that.

        1. Maborlz Ez-Hari Avatar
          Maborlz Ez-Hari

          Your a waste of breath 5th, you are fixated on your own wisdom which is limited to such a degree that you will never realize. You are comparing squished bugs and worms to life starting in the womb. Fortunately for you, you made it into the world but your grasp on life is as you see fit, again only due to your confidence in your limited knowledge. You can keep banging your head against the wall of reason but you will not convince me the TRUTH is seperate from religion. Go back to your comfort zone and continue talking in error that’s where you are at home. Oh and down another one of those glennfidly things if it makes you feel better.

  4. 5thDrawer Avatar

    In Tripoli, there is an over-filled orphanage … many of whom were babies left lying in the street – unwanted. UNTIL everyone on the planet agrees to take care of all unwanted and forced pregnancies (from rape, for instance), and are also willing to force a woman to go through the 9 months, it would be better to stick to the option of a legal abortion. Nice to know the Pope is handing out condoms these days. Anyone else??

    1. Maborlz Ez-Hari Avatar
      Maborlz Ez-Hari

      Abortion is murder, take it or leave it. Scientists discover life on mars in the form of bacterial cells but they dont consider a baby in the womb life. Why does this topic offend some people I will never understand.

      1. 5thDrawer Avatar

        Correct. We make a decision to kill many things every day. Hind would love to kill some cold bugs. 😉 I squished a spider today. These are things we decided we didn’t want. Destroying a life BEFORE it is even aware it exists seems a little better – and a more humane decision – than waiting to starve it to death a few days or years later.
        I IS a curiosity why the unborn baby has more ‘rights’ than the mother … although we have also witnessed, in various wars, the pregnant mother being shot or stabbed to death through the womb. The ‘shock value’ for the perpetrator is well known, as it seems more horrific to the ‘witness’ than if it was just the woman without child.
        How religion got into it is perhaps less a curiosity. But I am certain that even the occasional Buddhist has unwittingly driven a spade through a garden worm. People don’t kill him for that, if anyone discovers the mistake … he just goes to meditate on the vagaries of life. Sensible.

        1. Maborlz Ez-Hari Avatar
          Maborlz Ez-Hari

          Your a waste of breath 5th, you are fixated on your own wisdom which is limited to such a degree that you will never realize. You are comparing squished bugs and worms to life starting in the womb. Fortunately for you, you made it into the world but your grasp on life is as you see fit, again only due to your confidence in your limited knowledge. You can keep banging your head against the wall of reason but you will not convince me the TRUTH is seperate from religion. Go back to your comfort zone and continue talking in error that’s where you are at home. Oh and down another one of those glennfidly things if it makes you feel better.

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