Faithful reach out to Pope Francis during an audience with participants of a pilgrimage of the Italian-Albanian diocese of Lungro, in the Pope Paul VI hall, at the Vatican, Saturday, May 25, 2019. (Andrew Medichini/Associated Press)VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis said Saturday that abortion can never be condoned, even when the fetus is gravely sick or likely to die, and urged doctors and priests to support families to carry such pregnancies to term. Speaking to a Vatican-sponsored anti-abortion conference, Francis said the opposition to abortion isn’t a religious issue but a human one. While one can argue about using medical resources this way, there is value to it for the parents, he said. His comments come as the abortion debate is again making headlines in the U.S. with state initiatives seeking to restrict the procedure.

Source: Washington Post May 25, 2019 11:24 UTC