Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has praised the "heroism" of parents of gravely ill children who chose not to abort.
Francis met for nearly an hour with a group of severely ill children and their parents Friday in the Vatican hotel chapel. The families are participating in a pilgrimage to the shrines at Lourdes and Loreto.
The Vatican said Francis spent time with each child, who ranged in age from two to 14. The father of one child, Andrea Maria, told Francis how doctors had advised his wife to have an abortion because of a difficult pregnancy and the child's ailments but that they refused.
A Vatican statement of the closed meeting said Francis expressed his admiration for their courage, saying abortion is a false solution and that such parents show "heroism."
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
