Vatican City, Oct 28, 2020 / 04:07 am
Pope Francis told Polish Catholics Wednesday that he asks St. John Paul II's intercession for respect for life, amid protests in Poland over a law prohibiting abortion.
"Through the intercession of Mary Most Holy and the holy Polish pontiff, I ask God to inspire in the hearts of all respect for the life of our brothers, especially of the most fragile and defenseless, and to give strength to those who welcome it and take it care, even when it requires heroic love," Pope Francis said Oct. 28 in his message to Polish pilgrims.
The pope's comments came days after Poland's constitutional court ruled that a law permitting abortion for fetal abnormalities was unconstitutional on Oct. 22. Protestors were filmed interrupting Sunday Masses following the ruling.
Pope Francis noted that Oct. 22 was the feast of St. John Paul II, and recalled: "He always appealed for a privileged love for the least and the defenseless, and for the protection of every human being from conception until natural death."