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- Title
Pope Francis and Abortion.
- Authors
TOLLEFSEN, CHRISTOPHER
- Abstract
In this essay, I look first at Pope Francis's treatment of the issue of abortion. His teaching on the subject is, I show, substantially continuous with that of other twentieth century popes. I then look at some of the more discomfiting remarks that Pope Francis has made, such as his comment that the Church should be less "obsessed" with the issue. Some of these remarks, I will argue, do indeed raise important questions, yet can seem to create unnecessary and unhelpful opportunities for confusion and distortion; moreover, they appear to stand in some tension with other remarks of the Pope on the subject. I then suggest a framework for thinking about how the Pope is approaching this issue. That approach emphasizes two central concepts: God's mercy, and accompaniment. In closing, I argue that the Pope's approach must also emphasize eschatological significance if it is to be fully fruitful.
- Subjects
ABORTION; FRANCIS, Pope, 1936-; ESCHATOLOGY; HELL; MERCY
- Publication
Christian Bioethics: Non-ecumenical Studies in Medical Morality, 2015, Vol 21, Issue 1, p56
- ISSN
1380-3603
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/cb/cbu044