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Pope Francis highlights abortion in New Year appeal

January 1, 2025

The pontiff has ushered in 2025 by calling for Catholics to reject abortion and calling for a "firm commitment" to protect and respect life "from conception to natural death."

Pope Francis appears at his studio's window overlooking St. Peter's Square
Francis had celebrated a New Year's Day Mass dedicated to Mary, the mother of JesusImage: Andrew Medichini/AP Photo/picture alliance

Pope Francis welcomed 2025 with a New Year's Day Mass at St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday, making a renewed appeal for followers to reject abortion.

In recent years, Francis has become more outspoken about abortion than at the beginning of his papacy,  recently sparking outrage with his comments in Belgium.

What did Francis say?

In his homily, Francis prayed that everyone should learn to care for "every child born of a woman."

He urged followers to protect "the precious gift of life: life in the womb, the lives of children, the lives of the suffering, the poor, the elderly, the lonely and the dying."

"I ask for a firm commitment to respect the dignity of human life from conception to natural death, so that each person may cherish his or her own life and all may look with hope to the future," he said. The pontiff was using the phrasing that typically underlines the church's opposition to abortion and assisted suicide.

What we know about pope's stance on abortion

Francis, an Argentine Jesuit, has grown increasingly emphatic about his opposition to abortion than at the start of his papacy.

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In the first months of his pontificate in 2013, he complained that the church had become obsessed with "small-minded rules" on issues such as abortion.

The pope now regularly likens the procuring of an abortion to "hiring a hitman to solve a problem." In September, he courted controversy on a visit to Belgium by describing the country's abortion law as "murderous."

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo summoned the Vatican's ambassador and lambasted the remarks as "unacceptable."

More than 500 people asked to be debaptized in protest at Francis' remarks on women's rights and their role in society during his visit to the country.

rc/sms (AP, Reuters)