Pope Francis addressed the "horrific" notion of abortion on Monday January 13 in state of the world speech, and the "unnecessary" discarding of human beings that the Roman Catholic Church has always considered murdered.
Pope Francis fame as the new leader of the Catholic Church has not been well-received by many conservatives who have criticized the pope for failing to speak on the sin of abortion. After months of silence on the controversial topic, Pope Francis has supported the conservatives' stance, labeling abortion as "horrific."
"It is horrific even to think that there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day," said Pope Francis in a speech about children's rights. "Unfortunately, what is thrown away is not only food and dispensable objects, but often human beings themselves, who are discarded as unnecessary."
Focusing more on love and helping the less fortunate, Pope Francis notably has not been openly discussed abortion as his predecessors. In an interview with Italian Jesuit magazine Civilta Cattolica the pope called on the Catholic Church to quit obsessing about teaching on topics such as homosexulaity and abortion and focus more on the love of Jesus Christ. Notably, the pope stood for accepting homosexulatiy when he infamous asked, "who am I to judge them?" and leaned more to a tolerant approach.
Since his election win last March, the pope remained relatively quiet about the subject and many Catholics and conservatives began to ponder what the pope's stance was on abortion, a practice frowned upon in the Catholic church. The state of the world address is the first time the pope addresses the topic of abortion strongly, and should finally remove any doubt from Conservatives who had questioned him on abortion.
On the topic of children, Pope Francis labeled our times as a "throw away" culture for its apathetic approach to resources and necessities, when countless of children are suffering from starvation and poverty. Along with abortion, the pope also listed human trafficking as indispensable crimes committed to children worldwide that annihilates their freedom and rights.
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.
Pope Francis's address at the Vatican addressed further concerns from his behalf, including restoring peace in religious violent territories like Africa and Sudan and the ongoing hostility to immigrants who wish to make better lives for themselves and families.
