During a meeting with Italian pro-life organization Movimento per la Vita, Pope Francis expressed his strong support for unborn children, calling the right to life the "first and most fundamental right" - a right which should not be subject to personal ideological convictions or influenced by economic prosperity.
Pope Francis has been very vocal about the rise of greed and corruption in the world, encouraging Christians to forsake material pursuits and to care for the poor. When expressing his stance on the right to life for unborn children, the Pope highlighted the root cause of many abortions: greed - idolatry of money or of personal success. The Vatican Radio reports that the Pope expressed his lament over the "divorce between economics and morality" which is so prevalent in today's society.
"The unborn child in the womb is the most concrete example of innocence ... From the moment of its conception, life must be guarded with the greatest care," Francis says, calling abortion and infanticide "unspeakable crimes."
Pope Francis believes that Christians should be motivated by the Gospel to protect the life of every human being, beginning with unborn children. Many women who choose to have an abortion do so because they don't feel supported by their significant other, friends, or family. Pope Francis encourages Christians to minister to pregnant women so that they feel "regarded as a person who is heard, accepted, and accompanied." There are also many opportunities to serve at pregnancy resource centers which help women who may be undecided about whether to abort or keep their children.
