Editorial
Pope’s catechesis reminds us God loves every human life
Pope Francis is not one to parse words when he wants to make a point about tenets of Christianity and how many in society fail to recognize, respect and follow God’s laws as given to us through his holy word.
And he did just that during his general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Oct. 10.
The Holy Father continued his series on the catecheses of the commandments and focused on the Fifth Commandment, “You shall not kill,” saying it was a wall of defense, protecting the most fundamental value in human relationships—the value of life.
“One can say that all the evil done in the world can be boiled down to this: contempt for life,” Pope Francis said.
The pope’s strong language went even further, stating that procuring an abortion is wrong, inhumane and like hiring a hit man “to fix a problem,” according to a story published by Catholic News Service.
The Holy Father said it is a contradiction to allow for killing a human life in a mother’s womb “in the name of protecting other rights.”
“How can an act that suppresses the innocent and defenseless budding life be therapeutic, civilized or simply humane?” he asked the more than 26,000 people in attendance.
“Is it right to snuff out a human life to solve a problem?” he asked, until the crowd shouted loudly, “No!”
“Is it right to hire a hit man to solve a problem? No, you can’t. It’s not right to take out a human being, a small one, too, in order to fix a problem. It is like hiring a professional killer,” he said.
These heinous actions, the Holy Father noted, are the result of fear.
“The acceptance of the other is a challenge to individualism. Let us think, for example, of when we discover that a nascent life is the bearer of a disability, even a serious one,” he said. “The parents, in these dramatic cases, need true closeness, true solidarity, to face reality overcoming the understandable fears. Instead, they often receive hasty advice to interrupt the pregnancy, which is a figure of speech: ‘interrupt the pregnancy’ means to ‘do away with’ someone, directly.”
The Holy Father continued, “A sick baby is like any needy person on Earth, as an elderly man who needs help, as so many poor that struggle to go on: he or she who appears as a problem is, in reality, a gift of God that can draw me out of egocentrism and make me grow in love. Vulnerable life points out to us the way out, the way to save us from an inward-looking existence and to discover the joy of love.”
Our world, the pope has noted time and time again during his pontificate, has become a “throwaway culture.” The value of human life has taken a back seat for too many in society who have allowed idols like power, success and money to become their guiding principles.
“The only authentic measure of life” is love, Pope Francis said. God loves every single human life.
As we continue marking Respect Life Month and the ongoing worldwide 40 Days for Life campaign, we find the Holy Father’s message something our world desperately needs.
The halfway point of the fall 40 Days for Life prayer effort was on Oct. 15, and campaign organizers noted that 153 babies have been saved thus far from abortion through our prayers. We thank God for prayers answered, and for this wonderful witness of faith!
The 40 Days campaign runs through Nov. 4, so there is still time for members of the local Church to volunteer to sign up to pray outside abortion facilities.
The Central Indiana 40 Days for Life campaign takes place on the public right-of-way outside of the Planned Parenthood abortion facility, at 8590 Georgetown Road, in Indianapolis. For more information or to sign up to pray, contact Debra Minott at 317‑709-1502 or debra@goangels.org or go to 40daysforlife.com/local-campaigns/indianapolis.
In Bloomington, the 40 Days for Life campaign is taking place on the public right-of-way outside of the Planned Parenthood abortion facility at 421 S. College Ave. For more information or to sign up to pray, contact Monica Siefker at 812-330-1535 or 812-345-7988, or monica.siefker@gmail.com, or go to 40daysforlife.com/local-campaigns/Bloomington.
For other 40 Days for Life locations, go to 40daysforlife.com and click on “Find a Campaign.”
Every child is a gift from God. Pope Francis is imploring humanity never to forget this.
“It is worth welcoming every life because every person is worth the blood of Christ himself,” Pope Francis said. “You cannot scorn what God has loved so much.”
—Mike Krokos