Pope laments woman who had abortion to keep her figure

During his weekly general audience, Pope Francis issued strong words against worshipping idols.
Pope Francis. Image: Catholic Church England & Wales.

By Elise Harris, Catholic News Agency, 11 January 2017

Rome: On Wednesday 11 January, Pope Francis issued strong words against worshipping idols, cautioning against the false hope that beauty, wealth and power can give, using the example of a woman who once told him she had an abortion to preserve her figure.

“It’s terrible, it hurts the soul what I heard one time years ago in another diocese. A woman, a good woman, very, very beautiful and who bragged about her beauty, commented as if it were natural: ‘Yeah, I had to have an abortion because my figure is so important.’”

Attitudes like this, he said “are the idols, and they take you on the wrong path and they don’t bring you happiness.”

Pope Francis spoke to pilgrims in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall during his weekly general audience, continuing his catechesis on Christian hope. While he has so far focused on the meaning and source of hope, in today’s audience he highlighted several types of false hope that can endanger one’s relationship with God.

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Image: Catholic Church England and Wales.

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