The pope met with doctors and experts who participated in a congress on life including prenatal diagnosis and care for children born with illnesses.
Four hundred people from 70 countries came to talk about protecting life. Pope Francis thanked them for fighting the throwaway culture which condemns children to death if they could be born with some sort of disease.
POPE FRANCIS
'No human being can ever be incompatible with life, nor by his age, nor by his health, nor by the quality of his existence. Every child that arrives in the womb of a mother is a gift that changes a family's story: a father, a mother, grandparents and siblings.'
The pope criticized the practice of prenatal diagnosis, aimed at promoting abortion in case any malformation or pathology is detected.
POPE FRANCIS
'Fear and hostility toward disabilities often lead to choosing abortion, configuring it to a 'prevention' practice. The Church's teaching on this point is clear: human life is sacred and inviolable. The use of prenatal diagnosis with selective purposes must be forcefully ruled out. It is the expression of an inhuman eugenic mentality, which takes away from families the possibility to welcome, embrace and love their weakest children.'
The pope insisted that society and the Church should equip themselves with instruments to help families who have a child with a disability. It is a challenge to make society more human.
