Pope blesses baby at General Audience: L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO - PHOTO.VA

Pope Decries Abortion: One Cannot Do Away With a Human Being, Even If Small, to Resolve a Problem

Equates Act’s Way of “Eliminating Someone” to Services of a «Hitman»

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Abortion, Pope Francis said today, is a way of “eliminating someone” that is similar to the services of a “hired assassin.”
The Pope deviated from his prepared text to underscore this during his General Audience on October 10, 2018, reflecting on the 5th Commandment «Thou shall not kill.» He reminded: “The ‘he’ or ‘she’ that one presents as a problem, is, in reality, a gift from God, which can make me come out of my egocentrism and make me grow in love.”
The Pope decried “the suppression of human life in the maternal womb, in the name of safeguarding other rights.”
“But how can an act that ‘does away’ with innocent and defenseless life in its origin be therapeutic, civil or simply human? I pose the question to you: Is it right to do away with a human life to resolve a problem?”
“One cannot,” it’s not right, he said, “’to do away’ with a human being, although small, to resolve a problem.’
It’s like hiring an assassin to resolve a problem,” stressed the Pontiff, lashing out at a coated “way of speaking.” The “interruption of pregnancy” means to “take one out” directly.”
In the course of his catechesis, the Pontiff said that the idols of this world –money, power, success — often lead man “to reject life.”
The only authentic measure of life, the Holy Father underscored, “is love, the love with which God loves it! The love with which God loves life . . . The love with which God loves all human life.”
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On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full Translation of General Audience: https://zenit.org/articles/general-audience-on-the-commandment-to-not-kill/

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Deborah Castellano Lubov

Deborah Castellano Lubov is Senior Vatican & Rome Correspondent for ZENIT; author of 'The Other Francis' ('L'Altro Francesco') featuring interviews with those closest to the Pope and preface by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin (currently published in 5 languages); Deborah is also NBC & MSNBC Vatican Analyst. She often covers the Pope's travels abroad, often from the Papal Flight (including for historic trips such as to Abu Dhabi and Japan & Thailand), and has also asked him questions on the return-flight press conference on behalf of the English-speaking press present. Lubov has done much TV & radio commentary, including for NBC, Sky, EWTN, BBC, Vatican Radio, AP, Reuters and more. She also has contributed to various books on the Pope and has written for various Catholic publications. For 'The Other Francis': http://www.gracewing.co.uk/page219.html or https://www.amazon.com/Other-Francis-Everything-They-about/dp/0852449348/

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