Pope Francis encouraged society to value every human life during his daily message Wednesday from his papal library.
Highlighting the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s “Evangelium vitae,” Pope Francis told his online audience that his message is for all of society, not just Christians, according to Rome Reports.
“Every human life, unique and unrepeatable, it has value in itself. It has an inestimable value,” the pope said. “The attacks on the dignity and life of people unfortunately also continue in our era, which is the era of universal human rights. Indeed, we are faced with new threats and a new slavery, and laws don’t always protect the weakest and most vulnerable human life.”
He condemned abortion, pointing to a passage in the New Testament that recognizes unborn babies as valuable human beings. He referred to the story of Mary and Elizabeth in which the baby in Elizabeth’s womb “leaped for joy” when Mary came in carrying Jesus in her own womb.
Here’s more from the report:
“[Human dignity] is not an abstract concept, but it always manifests itself in a person in flesh and blood: a newly conceived child, a poor marginalized man, a lonely and discouraged patient or one in a terminal state, one who has lost his job or cannot find one, a refused or outcast migrant…”
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He said human dignity is not an ideology, but it is a reality that requires a concrete response of all humanity, not only Christians.
[The pope continued:]“We realize this more and more in this period in which the epidemic is taking the lives of many people. Through the intercession of Mary, we pray to the Lord of life to end this threat of death and to re-instill respect for every life in the hearts of all men and women.”
Many times, Pope Francis has condemned abortion and urged Christians to protect every human life. In 2018, he caused outrage among abortion activists after comparing abortion to “hiring a hitman” to kill unborn babies. He frequently describes aborted babies as victims of a “throwaway culture” and encourages society to recognize their value.
The pope’s message Wednesday comes at a critical time. The coronavirus outbreak is causing fears about medical rationing, especially among the elderly and people with disabilities. Meanwhile, abortion facilities are staying open and using precious medical resources to abort unborn babies in defiance of state health mandates.
Now more than ever society needs to be reminded that every human life, born and unborn, young and old, no matter what their abilities, is valuable and should be treated that way.
