Pope Francis 1936-2025

Voice For Life acknowledges the passing of Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic church, the world’s largest Christian denomination. During his time as pope, he took a clear, concise and courageous stand against the destruction of human life at any stage. His stance and belief in the inherent sanctity of all human life, including the unborn, draws from a long tradition that has been central teaching in the Catholic Church, including Pope John Paul II.

During a media interview in 2021, he succinctly summed up the pro-life position on abortion by responding to a journalist: “Abortion is more than an issue. Abortion is murder. Scientifically it’s a human life. The textbooks teach us that. But is it right to take it out to solve a problem? This is why the Church is so strict on this issue because accepting this is kind of like accepting daily murder.”

In 2022 he stated: “We must accompany people towards death but not provoke death or facilitate assisted suicide,” and again at another event he called euthanasia “a sin against God.”

One thing we consider particularly noteworthy in this current time, is the way that Pope Francis made such a clear link between abortion and genuine care for the environment. In his 2015 letter ‘Laudato Si: on care for our common home’, he said the following:

“Since everything is interrelated, concern for the protection of nature is also incompatible with the justification of abortion. How can we genuinely teach the importance of concern for other vulnerable beings, however troublesome or inconvenient they may be, if we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and creates difficulties?”

His time as pope was marked by an unwavering and bold condemnation of both abortion and euthanasia, and for that Voice For Life is truly grateful.