Rome
Pope John Paul II this week canonized an Italian woman who died in 1962, after she refused an abortion that could have saved her life. Doctors had told Gianna Beretta Molla that she had a tumor in her uterus and would die if she carried her pregnancy to term. But Molla, a mother of three and a pediatrician, refused any treatment that might harm the fetus. Her 91-year-old widower attended the ceremony, along with the daughter she died giving birth to. Molla is the first married woman to be made a saint in centuries. The pope praised her “extreme sacrifice” and said she was an example of “the pure, chaste, and fruitful beauty of conjugal love.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
-
One great cookbook: Joshua McFadden’s ‘Six Seasons of Pasta’the week recommends The pasta you know and love. But ever so much better.
-
Scientists are worried about amoebasUnder the radar Small and very mighty
-
Buddhist monks’ US walk for peaceUnder the Radar Crowds have turned out on the roads from California to Washington and ‘millions are finding hope in their journey’
