Pope Francis affirms that opposing abortion “is not a primarily religious matter,” but one “of human ethics,” and thus “independent of any religious confession.”
These were the words he used in a letter in which he responded to women from three different villas, or neighborhoods, in Argentina: 31, Rodrigo Bueno and José León Suárez. The women had asked him to intercede against the project on abortion that is to be debated in Congress.
The pope's response is similar to the one he gave on his return trip from Ireland in 2018, when the legalization of abortion was being debated in Argentina. At that time, the Chamber of Deputies approved it, but the Senate rejected it.
POPE FRANCIS
August 26, 2018
The issue of abortion is not a religious issue. We are not opposed to abortion for religious reasons. No. It is a human issue and has to be addressed as such. To consider abortion starting from religion is to step over that thought. The abortion question has to be studied from an anthropological standpoint.
In Argentina, the debate has been put on the table again, and in his letter, the pope supports women against abortion.
The pope proposes facing the issue by considering whether it is “just to eliminate a human life to solve a problem” and whether it is “just to hire a hitman to solve a problem.”
Pope Francis' letter is dated Nov. 22 and was circulated on social media.
Javier Romero
Translation: CT
