Pope Francis said Tuesday in his first apostolic exhortation that no matter how much the Catholic Church modernizes and changes, it would not be "progressive" to abandon its views about the morality of abortion.
"I want to be completely honest in this regard," he said, according
The Washington Times, citing reports from the
Catholic News Service. "This is not something subject to alleged reforms or 'modernizations.' It is not 'progressive' to try to resolve problems by eliminating a human life."
Urgent: Should the Pope change the Catholic Church?
The statement stands in direct contrast to the position some Catholic liberals in America have taken on the matter, in particular, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who defends a woman's right to abortion.
Pelosi has been criticized for her stance on abortion, and in September, a leading priest in the pro-life movement called on her to
renounce her Catholic faith.
In his communication, Pope Francis added that the practice of abortion violates the principle of human rights and the Church, therefore, cannot change its position on the matter.
"Precisely because this involves the internal consistency of our message about the value of the human person, the church cannot be expected to change her position on this question," Pope Francis said.
"This defense of unborn life is closely linked to the defense of each and every other human right. It involves the conviction that a human being is always sacred and inviolable, in any situation and at every stage of development.
"Human beings are ends in themselves and never a means of resolving other problems. Once this conviction disappears, so do solid and lasting foundations for the defense of human rights, which would always be subject to the passing whims of the powers that be."
Urgent: Should the Pope change the Catholic Church?
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