Pope Francis

[emmie]

views on abortion, with an ever increasing world population, is he out of touch, or does he feel he has to say it because of his position.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25723422

[mikey4444]

Of course he is out of touch ! He is a celibate religious leader, who lives surrounded by lackeys and extreme wealth...how could he not be !

[emmie]

did you read the link.

[mikey4444]

Yes...and he is still out of touch.

[jim360]

If I were being cynical, I'd say that he's waited until he secured the "Person of the Year" award before starting to say the really controversial stuff.

If the Pope is able to say "Who am I to judge gay people?", why does he not also realise that he should extend this, too, to women who have abortions?

[naomi24]

I've no doubt he believes what he's saying.

[mikey4444]

Naomi...he believes that the earth was made in 6 days...doesn't say much for his ability to understand a complicated issue like abortion does it !

[emmie]

i cannot fathom why the Catholic church is still so opposed to abortion, sanctity of life, so they have no compunction in allowing people across the globe to have more and more children, many of whom may die long before they have a chance of a significant life, perhaps it's to do with poverty, lack of education, but if a man is told no to wearing a condom, or the woman not allowed an abortion on any grounds, then more children will likely suffer, and the fact is as we see with high levels of HIV/Aids in
the world, that is unnecessary suffering, or doesn't that count?

[gness]

I don't think he is out of touch, Emmie...like the church he leads he chooses to ignore.
The Catholic Church will never change it's view on abortion because that would give some control over her body to a woman and the church can't afford to lose any of that control....it's how they function.

They may at some time amend the wording in their doctrine as they have done with ectopic pregnancy with the advances in medicine. Though I doubt it really and they will still be making the decision that affects the women....the women they don't support after inflicting their outdated cruelty upon her.

Would anyone guess that I really dislike the Catholic Church?...☺

[emmie]

i dislike any doctrine that doesn't give the woman the right to choose, no matter its abortion or what she eats, it's outdated, outmoded, and cruel

[sunny-dave]

Pope opposes abortion, fails to use wealth of church to alleviate poverty, fails to root out sexual abusers from clergy ...

... in other news - Bears still refusing to use indoor toilet facilities ...

[boxtops]

what I can't abide is the blanket view on abortion, which doesn't make any allowance for medical reasons, risk to the mother, rape victims, etc. I don't hold myself with abortions as a method of contraception, but there are certainly circumstances under which it should be sanctioned, IMO. Those who are so desperately anti- (or hold all human life sacrosanct whatever the circumstances) are wrong in this, IMO.

[tonyav]

Ah but the Catholic churches ruling on abortion = more Catholics.

[gness]

You've made me smile with a memory, Emmie saying ....what she eats.

Growing up it was a sin for us to eat meat on Friday. I think fish may have been expensive or maybe the Mum forgot it was Friday but I recall being at the home of a friend who was in a large Catholic family and there was Spam for tea.
Someone mentioned Friday and after some thought the Mum struck the Spam three times against the wall saying...You are fish..You are fish..You are fish....then said Jesus had turned the Spam into fish....so we ate it. I was never convinced I wasn't going to hell though....☻

[Hopkirk]

Hang on.

I don't believe in God, but I agree with him on abortion.

It is absolutely appalling that many people use it as a form of birth control.
It is terminating a human life, after all.

[gness]

Spot on, Tony....and poor Catholics willing to follow.

[lady-janine]

gness i understand and agree where you are coming from.

i know a woman in the village, reasonable education as she was headmistress of secondary school who told me when the church needed a new vicar and it was rumoured that it might be a woman said that she would convert to the catholic church as she didn't agree with woman vicars.

at a birthday dinner she was invited to + daughter of friend (daughter is a curate at church in kent) she refused to speak to daughter. bigotry or what? rudeness to start with but beyond that . . . .

[emmie]

i think that abortion is a massive issue around the globe, i remember reading the figures of Irish girls, women coming to the mainland to have their abortions, thus depriving them of much needed support at a difficult time, and then of course the back street abortions, none of which one would want to see happen in any country. Can't understand this idea that all life is sacred, the Catholic church needs to get into the modern world.

[jim360]

Don't judge bears too harshly, Sd...

http://static.rcgroups.net/forums/attachments/1/2/7/3/7/a1761791-5-bear-on-toilet.jpg?d=1205461559

[ummmm]

And many people do not use it as birth control. Until contraception is 100% reliable there will always be a few that took precautions but still got pregnant.

[gness]

Hoppy....the way in which my ectopic pregnancy was treated was considered by the Catholic Church to be an abortion.
Had I stuck by their teachings I would have been the dead mum to my two year old son.

Abortion is not always a wrong choice.....but should always be a woman's choice.

Yes I know you contribute to the pregnancy...but it's my body.