Pope Francis delivered his most strongly worded address on the subject of abortion to date at his recent “State of the World” address. Critics of Pope Francis have often attacked the Pope for not speaking on the critical issue and leaving the world guessing as to where he really stands. The Pope removed all doubt when he said:

“It is horrific even to think that there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day…Unfortunately what is thrown away is not only food and dispensable objects but often human beings themselves, who are discarded as unnecessary.”

There’s no more guessing on where the Pope stands on this issue. But it’s not really all that surprising that pope Francis would come down on the pro-life side of this issue. The Catholic church has historically been one of the most ardent defenders of life and it would be odd to think that the Pope would not lead that charge.

It’s also no surprise that Pope Francis would frame his remarks in the context of the trending “throwaway culture” we live in. Far too many people see everything in our society as consumable, an attitude that has spread to humans as well. The result is a lack of respect for property and material possessions that leads to a lack of respect for human life. Certainly, with the push for euthanasia and abortion on demand from some, this attitude is clearly visible.

It was good to hear Pope Francis address this subject in strong terms. Perhaps now the Pope’s critics will be satisfied.