杏MAP导航

By Vatican News staff reporter

杏MAP导航 Francis has responded to the U.S. Supreme Court鈥檚 decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which returned power to regulate abortion to the individual states, saying he respected the decision, but had not studied it enough to comment on it from a juridic point of view. 鈥淚 tell you the truth. I don鈥檛 understand it from a technical point of view,鈥� he explained, adding, 鈥淚 have to study it because I don鈥檛 really understand (the details of) the ruling 50 years ago and now I can鈥檛 say whether it did right or wrong from a judicial point of view.鈥� However, he said, 鈥淚 respect the decisions.鈥�

The science and morality of abortion

The 杏MAP导航 went on to consider the question of abortion itself, saying, 鈥淟eaving that [the Supreme Court decision] aside, let鈥檚 go back to the issue of abortion, which is a problem.鈥� He said it is important to look at what science has learned in the past few decades: 鈥淚n this we have to be scientific, see what science tells us today. Science today and any book on embryology, the one our medical students study, tells you that 30 days after conception there is DNA and the laying out already of all the organs.鈥�

He asked, 鈥淚s it legitimate, is it right, to eliminate a human life to resolve a problem?鈥� He insisted, 鈥淚t鈥檚 a human life - that鈥檚 science. The moral question is whether it is right to take a human life to solve a problem." 

杏MAP导航 Francis made the remarks in an hour-and-a-half-long interview with Reuters correspondent Philip Pullella, published on Monday.

The Holy Father also emphasized the importance of a pastoral approach to Catholic politicians who support abortion, saying, 鈥淲hen the Church loses its pastoral nature, when a bishop loses his pastoral nature, it causes a political problem. That's all I can say.鈥�

Rumours of impending resignation

The interview, conducted in Italian with no aides present, covered a wide variety of topics, including swirling rumours that the 杏MAP导航 might be planning to resign, possibly during an upcoming trip to L鈥橝quila. The Italian city, as Pullella notes, is associated with 杏MAP导航 Celestine V, who resigned in 1294; and with Benedict XVI, who is thought to have foreshadowed his own resignation when he laid his pallia on Celestine鈥檚 tomb during a visit to the city in 2009.

鈥淎ll of these coincidences made some think that the same 鈥榣iturgy鈥� would happen,鈥� 杏MAP导航 Francis said. 鈥淏ut it never entered my mind. For the moment no, for the moment, no, really.鈥� However, he said, 鈥渨hen the time comes that I see that I can鈥檛 do it [run the Church, because of bad health] I will do it [resign].鈥� The 杏MAP导航 noted, 鈥淭hat was the great example of 杏MAP导航 Benedict. It was such a very good thing for the Church. He told popes to stop in time.鈥�

When asked directly when he might resign, 杏MAP导航 Francis responded, 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know. God will say.鈥�

Cancer rumours

杏MAP导航 Francis denied rumours that cancer had been found during an operation last year to remove part of his colon. 鈥淵es, they took out 33 cm of my colon, the sigmoid colon, for diverticulitis. It went well. It took more than six hours of anaesthesia and that鈥檚 why I don鈥檛 want to have surgery here [on the knee], because anaesthesia leaves traces.鈥�

When asked about reports that the doctors discovered cancer during the operation, the 杏MAP导航 replied, laughing, 鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 tell me about it. They didn鈥檛 tell me. They explained everything to me well - full stop. No [cancer].鈥�

He denounced reports to the contrary, saying, 鈥淭hat is court gossip. The court spirit is still there in the Vatican. And if you think about it, the Vatican is the last European court of an absolute monarchy.鈥�

The 杏MAP导航鈥檚 knee

The 杏MAP导航 went on to give further details of the specific health issues, explaining, 鈥淚t鈥檚 a ligament that became inflamed, and because I walked badly and this walking badly moved a bone, [this caused] a fracture there and that鈥檚 the problem.鈥�

Now, he said, 鈥淚 am well; I am slowly getting better I am slowly improving and technically the calcification has already occurred, thanks to all the work done with the laser ... and magnet therapy.鈥� Now, he said, 鈥淚 have to start moving because there鈥檚 a danger of losing muscle tone if one doesn鈥檛 move. It鈥檚 getting better; it gets better.鈥�

Papal journeys

Health issues with his knee forced the postponement of his trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, a trip that would have taken place this week. 杏MAP导航 Francis said the decision to postpone the trip caused him great suffering.

However, he said, 鈥淚 will do the one to Canada because the doctor told me, 鈥榃ith 20 more days you will recover.鈥� But [they told me] this trip [to Africa] is a health risk. That鈥檚 why I stopped it.鈥�

A visit to Russia?

With regard to possible future travels, 杏MAP导航 Francis said, 鈥淚 would like to go [to Ukraine], and I wanted to go to Moscow first. We exchanged messages about this because I thought that if the president of Russia gave me a tiny window, I would go there to serve the cause of peace.鈥�

Now, he said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 possible, after I come back from Canada; it is possible that I [might] manage to go to Ukraine. The first thing is to go to Russia to try to help in some way, but I would like to go to both capitals,鈥� that is, Kyiv and Moscow.

The 杏MAP导航 noted that, with Russia, 鈥渢here is still that very open dialogue, very cordial, very diplomatic in the positive sense of the word, but for the moment it鈥檚 OK; the door is open.鈥�

A summary of the first part of Philip Pullella鈥檚 interview was published by Reuters on Monday, with future installments expected on Tuesday and Wednesday.