Archbishop Eamon Martin welcomes Pope Francis’ message ‘life must always be defended and loved’
Archbishop Eamon Martin has welcomed comments made by Pope Francis during his Regina Coeli address on Sunday 6 May in Saint Peters’ Square, Rome, on Sunday 6 May in which the Pope spoke of the welcome that must always be afforded to the unborn.
The Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland said, ‘The words of Pope Francis over the weekend have a particular resonance with us as our country considers the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. The Holy Father spoke about the Gospel teaching of Jesus to “love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12) and that this love must be part of our everyday lives as we are called to care for the elderly “as a precious treasure”; to provide “every assistance possible to those who are sick”, even when they are approaching the end of their lives; and to always welcome the unborn. This, Pope Francis said, is why “life must always be defended and loved, from conception to its natural end.”’
Archbishop Martin continued, ‘The comments of the Holy Father are very important in situating our teaching on the sacredness of unborn life within the context of our belief in the centrality of the commandment of love. Pope Francis said that the love of Christ is “not a superficial feeling”, but rather, ‘a fundamental attitude of the heart’. Our belief in this teaching of Jesus should inspire us to defend life from conception to its natural end.’
Please visit www.chooselife2018.ie for more resources on the unborn child’s right to life, including links to the weekly Choose Life 2018 newsletter.
