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Pope Francis has recently come out against the practice of abortion due to the heated debate that has been sparked in the United States. Francis compared the practice to the hiring of a hitman to kill someone. The 266th Pope of the Catholic Church has made it very clear he is against any kind of death.
Pope Francis’s Stance on Abortion
A Reaffirmation of the Vatican’s Pro-Life Stance
Francis questioned the practice by saying, “Is it licit to throw away a life to resolve a problem? Is it licit to hire a hitman to resolve a problem?”
When asked as to why someone should take care of a sick fetus that is pretty much destined for death, he answered, “Taking care of these children helps parents to grieve and not only think of it as a loss, but as a step on a path taken together.”
To many, it may look futile to continue a pregnancy of a fetus that will certainly die or be born with birth defects. However, the reasoning of the Catholic Church’s stance lies within God’s scriptures.
Does God Let Birth Defects Occur?
“And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus said, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.’” (John 9:2-3)
As Jesus Christ said, birth defects are not a consequence of the parents nor the child sinning. As odd as it may seem, birth defects are a part of The Lord’s big scheme for our mission on Earth. Therefore, parents need to provide for their fetus regardless if it has birth defects or not. They need to be ready to cope with loss in the case of the baby’s death. All of it is The Lord’s Plan.
“Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” (Romans 12:15)
The holy word makes it very clear that, as Christians, we are obligated to show compassion and love to all children of God. No matter if they are disabled or born with birth defects, they are deserving of the utmost amount of respect. The Bible doesn’t give us any detailed explanation as to why birth defects are a part of his plan. It does, however, teach believers to both help and grieve with those in need.
How Do We Deal With Birth Defects?
“The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. ” (Job 1:21)
Those who have to deal daily with being disabled or help someone with a disability should try to follow the example of Job. Although Job almost lost all the good reasons to keep going, he never gave up and continued to trust that the Lord had a divine plan for him.
Is a Sinful World to Blame for Birth Defects?
Although everything that The Lord crafts is good, his works are not safe from the curses of this realm. All the sins committed by humanity in this world can be traced to a single event; tempted by Satan, Adam and Eve committed the first sin. Ever since then, humanity has been cursed by their mistakes. To this very day, we can still see the effects of their wrong deeds in human society. The Lord offers redemption through faith in his word (Roman 5:8).
The Holy Scriptures may not give us any explanation for God letting children come into this plan with disabilities. However, Genesis 1:27 makes it clear that they are all born into his image. Therefore, they are loved by him. Eventually, God will guide them to their mission in life (Jeremiah 1:5).
While some may find the Roman Catholic position on this subject extreme, Pope Francis is just reiterating what the Lord told us in his scriptures. Abortion is a mortal sin that may result in a one-way ticket to damnation.
The world may look like an unfair chaotic place. Thus, abortion may be seen as the easy way out of it, but doing so is sinful and goes against the Lord’s divine plan for the end of days. The traits, personality, and background we were born with aren’t just a matter of luck and DNA combination, but also God’s will. There is a reason for all our struggles and challenges in life. The Lord wants us to learn something in order to serve our purposes in this realm before we are accepted into heaven.
Originally published on 71Republic