Pope Francis just made news — but it wasn't about abortion

A pope criticizing abortion? How's that news? Now, endorsing breastfeeding in church....

Pope Francis
(Image credit: (TONY GENTILE/Reuters/Corbis))

On Monday, Pope Francis had some tough words about abortion. Terminating pregnancies is another manifestation of our "throwaway culture," but "unfortunately, what is thrown away is not only food or disposable objects, but often human beings themselves, who are discarded as if they were unnecessary," he told foreign diplomats in his first annual "State of the World" address. "It is horrific even to think that there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day."

AFP says that was Pope Francis' "strongest condemnation yet of abortion." They were certainly "his toughest remarks to date on abortion," agrees Reuters, suggesting that Francis was railroaded by restive Catholic conservatives into strengthening his public statements against abortion. The Associated Press concurs with the conservative strong-arming, explaining that unlike his recent predecessors, this pope "prefers to speak less about the church's moralizing rules and more about its positive, welcoming message."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.