Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state. Photo: CNS In a wide-ranging interview, Pope Francis’s top diplomat said a recent vote by the European Parliament to style abortion as a fundamental right constitutes a “radical attack” on human life.
“When life is attacked in such a radical way, you truly have to ask what kind of future we want to build,” said Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, adding that the situation has produced “great sadness in the depths of my heart”. The comments came ahead of June elections for the European Parliament, when abortion rights are expected to be among the voting issues.
“When life is attacked in such a radical way, you truly have to ask what kind of future we want to build. I feel a great sadness in the depths of my heart, and I don’t even have the words to express it adequately,” he said.
“I repeat, I feel extremely sad facing this way of approaching the situation. How can we think that abortion is a right? That it can assure a future to our society?” Cardinal Parolin asked. “I don’t understand,” he said. “I truly don’t understand.”