While continuing to suffer the sorrow of loss, many mothers turn to their children as intercessors before God for large and small needs in life, for themselves and for others. With the friendly and expert help and advice of other people, and as a result of your own painful experience, you can become the most eloquent defenders of everyone's right to life.
The love with which the Holy Father reaches out to a women who has had an abortion, and the unconditional love with which the Church and pro-life community surround her, may be her first experience of true Christian charity.
If her wounded life is so profoundly valued and cherished, she can begin to perceive herself as having dignity and worth as a person. She comes to understand that every human person has the same dignity and value—each and every one has been purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ.
Her profound suffering has taught her that abortion is not a solution to the problem of an untimely pregnancy, but rather a transformation of a temporary problem into a potentially life-long tragedy. Some women who have had abortions—very few— will choose to speak out about their painful experience so as to help others not to make the same mistake. They will write, give talks, allow themselves to be interviewed publicly, and become active and visible in political campaigns in favor of life.
Most mothers of aborted children, however, will defend everyone's right to life quietly and effectively, praying and working discretely, supporting pro-life efforts and advising those who ask them, giving positive solutions to the many life-threatening problems in our society.
They will become pro-active, seeking out ways to promote chastity and a deep understanding of human sexuality as God intended it to be. This [the Holy Father says] is the fundamental contribution which the Church and humanity expect from women.
And it is the indispensable prerequisite for an authentic cultural change. Angelo is assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine and a psychiatrist in private practice in Boston. She has been an active participant in Project Rachel locally and nationally for many years.
Return to Post-Abortion Healing. Joanne Angelo, M. The Holy Father understands that many factors influence the decision a woman makes when she is burdened with an untimely pregnancy: As well as the mother, there are often other people too who decide upon the death of the child in the womb. EV, 59 The Holy Father also places responsibility for the tragedy of abortion on "doctors and nurses EV, 59 "Finally," he concludes, "one cannot overlook the network of complicity which reaches out to include international institutions, foundations and associations which systematically campaign for the legalization and spread of abortion in the world" EV, A woman's decision to have an abortion is made in the context of multiple personal and societal pressures in what the Pope has termed the rapidly accelerating "culture of death.
The Holy Father's pastoral outreach to women who have had an abortion is tenderly compassionate, forgiving and hopeful in the Gospel of Life. EV, 99 A woman's decision to have an abortion is always a stressful decision, made under the pressure of time and often shrouded in secrecy and shame.
The wound in your heart may not yet have healed. EV, 99 Women who have had abortions are often haunted by the intrusive thought, "I killed my baby! EV, 99 Paradoxically, the Holy Father's strong condemnation of abortion is helpful to women who have suffered through this tragedy in their own lives: Among all the crimes which can be committed against life, procured abortion has characteristics making it particularly serious and deplorable.
EV, 58 Many women carry these sentiments in their hearts for years, but find no one who understands their profound sorrow and guilt. EV, 99 Women who have had abortions commonly believe that they have committed "the unforgivable sin. This outreach by the Pope is saying 'Don't isolate yourselves, come back to the church. Pope Francis initially introduce the church's clarified policies last year when he said tha t priests around the world would be authorized to forgive the "sin of abortion" for the duration of the Church's Year of Mercy, which ran from December 8, to November 20, The Year of Mercy is a longstanding Catholic tradition during which believers may receive special indulgences for their sins.
Priest: 'Another gesture of mercy and welcome'. The Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and editor-at-large at America magazine in New York, described Pope Francis' announcement as "a significant one.
As time passed, the fear lessened, or I just learned to live with it. We married after college. Soon we were blessed with a son, then, a short time later, a daughter.
Eventually, I converted to Catholicism. But when I held my son and daughter, the protection and love I felt for those little lives overwhelmed me. How could I have killed my earlier child — my first baby?
The shame and guilt haunted me. I cried a lot in their first months, but I suffered the grief and tears in silence. What if my colleagues and family learned my awful secret?
How could God love me after I did such an unspeakable thing? I kept my silence even as people around me made hurtful statements about women who have abortions — women like me. Through our faith, I came to understand that God can forgive anything. Related Topics. Published 8 December Published 1 September Published 19 January Published 19 September
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