Anne Lastman
In recent comments the Holy Father, Pope Francis, again addressed the issue of child abuse, this time stressing child trafficking and said that Christians “cannot remain indifferent” or that Christians cannot turn away our face from the reality of such evil practice. This trade is for convenience of those monied, and dastardly deed of sexual use and abuse by predators for the mandated 30 pieces of silver.
Many times, throughout his Pontificate Pope Francis has spoken strongly and loudly in defense of children everywhere and their maltreatment by the wickedness of other human beings.
The children who have survived abortion and brought to birth for the use of perverted, most usually males. These children who should have lived a life complete with the needs of all children, created and brought to birth (by willing parents ) for sale. Dehumanized, chattels. And this in our wealthy and modern 20th-21st century when these centuries have wasted trillions of dollars sending rockets to planets whilst children starved. These centuries have found wealth and not used it for the benefit of humanity but for evil.
The Holy Father has also spoken often against the evils of abortion, calling those who carry out this evil as “hitmen” and urged society for a more united and forceful confrontational attitude towards abortion and its proponents.
He has been clear throughout his pontificate that abortion is violence against life. He has appealed to all people to reject the slaughter of and defense of infants who are , until a certain moment, safe in their mother’s womb when suddenly their life is torn maliciously by the said “hitmen.”
Abortion, trafficking, illegal harm to young female children, bartering for them to fulfil requests for certain numbers to fulfill quotas which makes of them a commodity to be purchased and sold at will and random. No looking into their eyes and seeing humanity written in them and the fear also showing in them.
“to save one life is considered by scripture to have saved the whole world “ (almud a person saves a whole universe” Because we are created in God’s image.
In a world which has moved first slowly to an increased progression over less than a century and has become a world where children and defenselessness (frail, ill, elderly, disabled) replaced by thinking which bears no semblance to humanity.
Where once upon a time the death of a child was seen as a great tragedy and parents experienced great pain and even at times thought that they were being punished by God, this past century the killing of infants has not only been normalized, legalized, encouraged, supported, but it has been funded by governments around the world. Abortion, killing of in utero infants approved for killing and this killing paid for by government healthcare funds.
Abortion which has become a “medical procedure” and touted as safer than giving birth. Something which has been happening since time began, today has become unsafe and killing the babies in utero is thought much safer. Insanity in thought and action. The sadness and horror that worse seems to be on the way with post birth abortion being practiced, late-term abortion, post birth abortion that is if child survives an abortion, and now there is the beginning of discussion to consider abortion or perhaps we might call it slaughter of human beings up to four weeks of age. Not only in utero but up to 4 weeks post birth.
It’s my considered opinion, having worked in this area for nearly 30 years, that this is already happening, but the existence of this practice is just beginning to be talked about, which of course means that it has long been thought, and experiments made. It begins with the idea and continues till its fulfilment. The “hitmen” are ready wherever needed. This procedure has been so sanitized that its now called “medical procedure” and openly carried out in health clinics and hospitals. What happens to the body of this offering to Moloch? I imagine used for experimentation , clinical needs and even apparently cosmetics. Insanity.
And yet on the one floor of a hospital abortions are carried out openly and on the next floor IVF facilities for the manufacture of babies for those who demand and can afford a child of their own. Infants created in a laboratory whilst meters from them infants being dismembered and euthanized. Millions of embryos disposed as garbage .I would like to say that this is a society confused but it’s a society which is speedily in steep decline to a stage of subhuman. A society which has lost all sense of their own dignity and value because of the divine image infused in them.
Even those who do not want to carry a baby because it would affect their body image, (figure) there is now provision for such eventuality. Surrogacy. Rent a womb for a fee. A womb which is the first home of a human being becomes either its tomb or its rental accommodation for short term.
The death, loss of a child, is never really forgotten even by those who have rented their womb, because the dialogue between mother and that “tenant” have an ongoing friendship and dialogue for nearly a year and when time comes for child to move to another home there is the separation. The child who has listened to the voice of its mother, her heartbeat, her feeding, suddenly finds itself in a sterile room and the heartbeat not there, the warmth of the dialogue not there, the food different, the voice different, and for the mother who has carried the child in her womb for 9 months there is the very real memory of that special guest who has come into her home and she rejected it. However, she continues to remember and has a certain loneliness.
An example of the grief of a “mother’s sorrow “ a mother who loses her 4-year-old son by accident. I was present when this happened and only 10 years of age. The mother, my aunt, collected my little cousin’s body and carried him inside the house, sat with him in her arms and rocked him.
We have a very iconic image of this “The Pietà “ a mother holding her dead son in hear arms, and the pain in her face is the pain of one who has taken onto herself the tears of all women. As Jesus carried the sins of the world on his shoulders, the mother carried the pain, sorrow and tears of all women on her face.
The death rituals of the time (late1960s) of my early childhood, were expressive. The mother held her child in her arms as long as she wanted, needed to, whilst a father if present and not overseas working, or family men made a homemade box which was then covered in white sheet. The body was washed by the mother, mostly with her tears, dried with her shoulder mantle and placed in the box and surrounded the body with field flowers and box with body placed on small table for family to see and say goodbye, then carried to place where other family members were buried and child buried there. The mother placed the Box into that grave. Without tears. Just a pain written on her face and even after 60 years I can still remember.
Post burial there was a sombre time and mother needed to be left alone. No wakes, no discussion, no flowers or even condolences, just alone with him in her memory and heart. I never did see aunt weep after burial. But she did set up a corner in her room where a photo of Gino was framed and put on wall and a candle on table and every day fresh field flowers. But more importantly for me, it was seeing her ritual. Every evening after daily work for the family was done, she would sit at that table with a lit candle and look at her child’s photo and her sorrow was so visible no one could have missed it.
One day I asked her why she did what she did, and she simply said she was keeping him company and watching over him.
Seven years later when my parents and brother and I moved to Australia, she was still doing this ritual. Her time with Gino never changed. She mourned the death of other members of family, but the grief for her son was different, never changed. She would not be consoled or told to let him go, and perhaps counsellors, even like me, would have thought she was suffering complicated grief. But for her the death of her little son was something that she could not let go. She said a mother never forgets her children (in village dialect) No theology; she knew the meaning of the words spoken by the prophet (Is.49:15) without knowing scriptures. These words are written in the heart of every woman. she couldn’t let him go. At times it was possible to see a far away as if she was seeing something or someone but always that pain remained.
She never recovered from the death of her son. And no mother ever recovers from the death of her child whether death is intentional, (abortion, illness, accident or unintentional. There on her face she carries the tears of all humanity. Like mother Mary, and perhaps like Eve over her deep regret at what she had done. I have never forgotten the pain etched on Aunt’s face. It’s like she aged overnight so as to go quickly to be with him. All the above I know to be true because I was present. The loss of a child is a profound grief and even though an abortive mother (because she remains a mother even after the abortion ) attempts to bury the event, death of her baby, there will be moments when a sharp pain echoes in her being. This I also know to be true.
The Holy Father in his first public talk or catechism lesson in 2025 said the scourge of child labor and abuses suffered by children, will have to answer to God. (8/1/2025) These are very powerful words from “Peter” he was referring to the pain caused to the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life. The offence against the life which he gave as a gift for that woman and the gift that that child would have been to her.
The loss of a child causes grief, which cannot be extinguished because love cannot be extinguished. Our Lady’s sorrow etched in her face, whilst holding her dead son, spoke clearly that every mother grieves for all children (like Rachel who wept for her children who were no more Jer:31;15-22) who perish, especially those who like her son perish violently.
In January 4th, 2025 the Holy Father further said, children occupy a privileged place in God’s heart and whoever harms them will be accountable to him”
As I was thinking about this article it occurred to me that the pontificate of pope Francis began with catechesis on the mercy of God ( The name of God is Mercy). His second emphasis was on the disenfranchised, that is, the sinners, elderly, poor, broken, sick, street community, abandoned, and doing something tangible and visible to assist in these situations. He dined with the outcastes. He provided for the physical needs of street men and women. He shared his birthday with very poor (when having a banquet invite the poor, crippled, lame, blind, and you will be blessed (Lk. 14:12-14). He spoke about our “common home” and caring for this home created just for us by the creator.
The third part of his ministry is and will be care for children (Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of Life, Theology of the Body) and relieve their suffering through abuse, trafficking, abortion, brutality, starvation violence, abandonment, and these all in our modern day. The horror of drug addiction because of the wickedness of evil. Protect them. “Let the children come to me” (Mt 19:14).
The Holy Father has visibly lived the Gospel, just as Jesus lived the Gospel. He has not been interested in the language of Holy Mass except to bring together all so that all maybe able to understand the liturgy and worship, understanding exactly what is being said. No exclusivity. Or vanity. He has not looked at a human being and allow his eyes to venture below the belt and their sexuality. And he chose to do as Jesus did spoke of “loving one another as I have loved you” (the new commandment. (Jn.13:34).
The Holy Father honoured each member of the Holy Trinity, reminding humanity about the sins against each member, Father, Son and holy Spirit, but also the love and Mercy of God for all his children. He reminded humanity to do better. To do more to improve and protect life because it’s the Father’s desire, the Son’s redemption, and the Spirit’s donation, and teaching what was taught by the son. During this third day of the Holy Spirit, we are given the gift of “Peter” who visibly lived the experience of the Trinity so that those who have hears could have heard. Those who have eyes could see that God has walked amongst them.
