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.”
Subscribe to 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.
-
Having a mayor: Starmer's struggles with devolved leadersTalking Point Andy Burnham made public criticisms of the Labour government policies without specifically naming Keir Starmer or Rachel Reeves
-
Why is Nasa facing a crisis?Today's Big Question Trump administration proposes 25% cut to national space agency's budget in 'extinction-level event'
-
The 50-year battle for Western SaharaThe Explainer UK is latest country to back Moroccan plan to end decades-long dispute with Algerian-backed Polisario Front
