dpa
Rome
Pope Francis condemned abortion as he returned to the Vatican after spending three days in Slovakia.
"Abortion is more than a problem, it is murder,” he told journalists on Wednesday. Scientifically speaking, it is a human life, he said.
The pope said that was why the church was so strict on the question. Pope Francis has previously said he opposes abortion. He also referred to bishops in the US who want to refuse US President Joe Biden Communion due to his liberal stance on abortion. Biden is a practising Catholic.
Francis said bishops should be bishops and handle the issue in a pastoral manner. If people do not behave like a "shepherd,” such issues immediately become political, he said. His comments came after a four-day trip to Slovakia and Budapest, where he met leading officials and visited a range of lesser-known projects seeking to improve the lives of the poor.
Rome
Pope Francis condemned abortion as he returned to the Vatican after spending three days in Slovakia.
"Abortion is more than a problem, it is murder,” he told journalists on Wednesday. Scientifically speaking, it is a human life, he said.
The pope said that was why the church was so strict on the question. Pope Francis has previously said he opposes abortion. He also referred to bishops in the US who want to refuse US President Joe Biden Communion due to his liberal stance on abortion. Biden is a practising Catholic.
Francis said bishops should be bishops and handle the issue in a pastoral manner. If people do not behave like a "shepherd,” such issues immediately become political, he said. His comments came after a four-day trip to Slovakia and Budapest, where he met leading officials and visited a range of lesser-known projects seeking to improve the lives of the poor.