I begin by stating unwaveringly: I do not agree with or condone abortion.
Yet I would like to point out that in his 2013 apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium,” Pope Francis stresses the importance of mercy and everyday acts of holiness over a narrow focus of judgment or spiritual worldliness. He condemns those “who ultimately trust only in their own powers and feel superior to others because they observe certain rules or remain intransigently faithful to a particular Catholic style from the past” (94). He repeats this warning in his 2018 apostolic exhortation, “Gaudete et exsultate.”
Opposition to abortion is a very important aspect of our Catholic faith. It should not be used as a wedge issue or replace a wider concern for social justice. We were not created to be single-issue Catholics. Life in the womb is sacred, just as is life outside the womb.
Jane Francisco is a member of St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte.