Pope on Zika: abortion a crime, contraception a lesser evil

February 19, 2016 00:21

Pope Francis insisted today that abortion was always a crime but hinted that the Church could exceptionally relax its ban on contraception for women at risk of contracting the Zika virus.

"Abortion is not a lesser evil. It is a crime," Francis said in response to a question about how best to combat the outbreak across Latin America of the virus linked to birth defects.

But he added: "Avoiding a pregnancy is not an absolute evil."

The 79-year-old pontiff recalled that one of his predecessors, Paul VI (1963-1978) had authorised nuns working in Africa to use contraceptives in light of a high risk of them being raped by soldiers.

"We must not confuse the evil consisted of avoiding a pregnancy with abortion," Francis said. "Abortion is not a theological problem. It is a human problem, medical. One person is killed to save another. It is evil in itself, it is not a religious evil, it is a human evil.

"On the contrary, avoiding a pregnancy and, in the cases of Paul VI which I have cited, it was clear.

"I would also urge doctors to do everything they can to develop a vaccine."

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