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Pope Speaks to Post-aborted Women
The following is an excerpt from Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel
of Life), an encyclical letter of Pope John Paul II which was released
on March 25, 1995. My thanks to Joanne Angelo, M.D., who brought this to
my attention just days before this issue went to the printers.
I would now like to say a special word to women who have had an abortion.
The Church is aware of the many factors which may have influenced your
decision, and she does not doubt that in many cases it was a painful and
even shattering decision. The wound in your heart may not yet have healed.
Certainly what happened was and remains terribly wrong. But do not give in
to discouragement and do not lose hope. Try rather to understand what
happened and face it honestly. If you have not already done so, give
yourselves over with humility and trust to repentance. The Father of mercies
is ready to give you his forgiveness and his peace in the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. To the same Father and his mercy you can with sure hope
entrust your child. With the friendly and expert help and advice of other
people, and as a result of your own painful experience, you can be among the
most eloquent defenders of everyone's right to life. Through your commitment
to life, whether by accepting the birth of other children or by welcoming
and caring for those most in need of someone to be close to them, you will
become promoters of a new way of looking at human life.
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