Monday 13 January 2014

Pope Francis denounces abortion as part of the "throwaway culture"

Pope Francis' address to the Diplomatic corps included the following: 


... I observed that “fraternity is generally first learned within the family…”, for the family “by its vocation… is meant to spread its love to the world around it" and to contribute to the growth of that spirit of service and sharing which builds peace. This is the message of the Crib, where we see the Holy Family, not alone and isolated from the world, but surrounded by shepherds and the Magi, that is by an open community in which there is room for everyone, poor and rich alike, those near and those afar. In this way we can appreciate the insistence of my beloved predecessor Benedict XVI that “the language of the family is a language of peace”.

Sadly, this is often not the case, as the number of broken and troubled families is on the rise... It also happens that the elderly are looked upon as a burden, while young people lack clear prospects for their lives. Yet the elderly and the young are the hope of humanity. The elderly bring with them wisdom born of experience; the young open us to the future and prevent us from becoming self-absorbed. It is prudent to keep the elderly from being ostracized from the life of society, so as to preserve the living memory of each people. It is likewise important to invest in the young through suitable initiatives which can help them to find employment and establish homes.... 
The scenes of destruction and death which we have witnessed in the past year confirm all this – if ever we needed such confirmation. How much pain and desperation are caused by self-centredness which gradually takes the form of envy, selfishness, competition and the thirst for power and money! 
Peace is also threatened by every denial of human dignity, firstly the lack of access to adequate nutrition. 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 termed “the throwaway culture”. Unfortunately, what is thrown away is not only food and dispensable objects, but often human beings themselves, who are discarded as “unnecessary”. For example, it is frightful even to think there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day; children being used as soldiers, abused and killed in armed conflicts; and children being bought and sold in that terrible form of modern slavery which is human trafficking, which is a crime against humanity. 

1 comment:

Lawrence and Susan Fox said...

If you will permit me one small commercial. We are having a pro-life Twitter Storm Jan 22, 2014 at 1 p.m. EST.
We are using the hashtag, #PraytoEndAbortion, and will attempt to make it the top hashtag on Twitter in the world. Here is a link explaining how to join us http://www.theendofabortionmovement.com/praytoendabortion-blog.html
It's easy and fun work for Jesus. This was started by a woman who was told by Mary that Abortion will end when we pray the Rosary for that intention. If you don't want to Tweet for Jesus & Mary, please join us in prayer. God bless you. Susan Fox www.christsfaithfulwitness.com