The John-Henry Westen Show - Episode 4： Did Pope Francis really praise leading abortionist？

00:00:00.000 Hello and welcome to the John Henry Weston Show. I'm the co-founder and editor-in-chief of LifeSite

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00:00:49.440 transcript on my LifeSite blog in case you prefer to read the content. However, the show was created

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00:01:10.180 Pope Francis' praise for Italy's leading abortion pusher, herself an illegal abortionist.

00:01:16.860 Hi, I'm John Henry Weston, co-founder and editor-in-chief of LifeSite News.

00:01:21.140 At LifeSite, we are very aware of the seriousness of criticizing the Pope. However, Canon Law at

00:01:29.540 number 212, number 3, speaks about this matter when it says that the laity, and I quote,

00:01:35.420 have the right indeed at times the duty, in keeping with their knowledge, competence and position,

00:01:40.600 to manifest to the sacred pastors their views on matters which concern the good of the Church.

00:01:45.780 Canon Law adds, they have the right also to make their views known to others of Christ's

00:01:52.500 faithful. But in doing so, they must always respect the integrity of faith and morals,

00:01:58.040 show due reverence to the pastors, and take into account both the common good and the dignity

00:02:03.320 of individuals, end quote. So let's start with a prayer. In the name of the Father, of the Son,

00:02:08.900 and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

00:02:12.260 On February 8th, 2016, one of Italy's most prominent dailies, Corriera della Sera, published

00:02:19.960 an interview with Pope Francis in which he praised Italy's leading abortion proponent,

00:02:25.740 Emma Bonino, as one of the nation's forgotten greats, comparing her to great historical figures

00:02:33.080 such as Konrad Adenauer and Robert Schumann. More than that, the Pope has met with Bonino

00:02:39.020 on several occasions, and her close association with the Pope has even led her to speaking

00:02:44.700 at several Catholic churches in Italy, all the while being the chief promoter of abortion 1.00

00:02:49.900 in the country.

00:02:52.160 Here is the poster of her presentation in 2017 at one Catholic church, and the video of her

00:02:59.000 talk there, where pro-life protesters in the audience were thrown out of the church.

00:03:04.740 And here is the video of her still promoting abortion in 2018. 0.77

00:03:10.940 In order to understand the gravity of all this, you'd have to imagine the Pope called Hillary

00:03:16.000 Clinton one of America's forgotten greats. But that would only work if Hillary started out 0.95

00:03:21.820 as an illegal abortionist herself. That's why the pro-life movement in Italy was stunned 0.99

00:03:27.840 and horrified at the Pope's remarks. Responding to the Pope's praise of Bonino,

00:03:34.020 pro-life leaders in Italy expressed disbelief. And I quote,

00:03:37.560 How can the Pope praise a woman that is best known in Italy for practicing illegal abortion 0.99

00:03:42.460 and promoting abortion? commented Monsignor Ignacio Barrero, who then was the head of the

00:03:48.680 Rome Office of Human Life International. As I've said before, pro-life and pro-family leaders

00:03:55.080 would be rejoicing if the Holy Father was meeting with abortionists and promoters of abortion 0.69

00:04:00.960 if it was clear that he was calling them to repentance. Without that, we are left with grave

00:04:07.800 confusion. Suggestions that the Pope did not know about Bonino's controversial stances

00:04:14.700 are dismissed by Italians since she was famously arrested for illegal abortions and then became a 1.00

00:04:20.200 politician who led the fight for the legalization of abortion in the nation. Beyond that, Pope Francis

00:04:27.040 has been acquainted with Bonino and her radical party leadership for years and been openly criticized

00:04:33.480 for his warm relations with them. In her capacity as Italian foreign minister, Bonino, along with

00:04:40.280 President Giorgio Napolitano and his key ministers, was granted an audience with the Pope on June 8,

00:04:47.000 2013. In April 2014, Bonino called Pope Francis to help end the hunger strike of radical party leader

00:04:55.240 Marco Panella. The Pope made the call and promised to join Panella in his bid to better conditions in

00:05:01.640 Italian prisons. In May 2015, Vatican Insider reported that Pope Francis personally invited Bonino

00:05:08.840 Bonino to an audience in the Paul VI Hall. Bonino had herself an illegal abortion as a young woman,

00:05:18.600 and then co-founded and worked with the Information Center on Sterilization and Abortion, which boasts

00:05:25.400 over 10,000 abortions. There are famous photos of Bonino herself performing illegal abortions using a 1.00

00:05:33.560 homemade device operated by a bicycle pump. Arrested for illegal activity, she spent a few days in jail

00:05:42.040 and was acquitted and entered politics. As a politician, she championed abortion, euthanasia, 0.89

00:05:48.920 homosexual marriage, legalization of recreational drugs, graphic sex education, and more.

00:05:56.040 She's great friends with international abortion pusher and globalist George Soros, who actually,

00:06:01.640 as you'll see in this video, gave her an award for women's rights. Pope Francis admires Bonino's work

00:06:08.360 with immigration. However, as Christian politicians increasingly struggled to remain true to pro-life

00:06:15.160 and pro-family stances in public office and endure much criticism, it was harmful for the Pope to openly

00:06:22.360 praise, without clear and necessary qualifications, a politician such as Bonino. It undermines the sacrifices many

00:06:30.440 pro-life politicians have made, and may even bring them to question the need to remain solid in their

00:06:35.720 voting patterns. It also undermines decades of heroic efforts by Italian pro-life leaders who had

00:06:42.840 actively opposed Bonino's anti-life and anti-family actions. The U.S. bishops highlight the problem

00:06:49.960 that all this causes in their 2004 document called Catholics in Political Life.

00:06:54.360 And I quote from it, it says,

00:06:57.160 Our obligation as bishops at this time is to teach clearly. End quote.

00:07:02.520 They said later in the document that they must warn and counsel politicians that by supporting

00:07:07.560 abortion they are cooperating in evil. Moreover, they said that persistently pro-abortion politicians

00:07:13.480 should not be honored by the Catholic community and by Catholic institutions. The bishop's document

00:07:19.560 directed that such politicians, and I quote, should not be given awards, honors, or platforms which would

00:07:26.360 suggest support for their actions. End quote. Remember, at LifeSite, we're all about caritas in

00:07:33.480 veritate, the truth and love. And that is what we are after. For LifeSite News, I'm John Henry Weston,

00:07:40.680 and may God bless you.

The John-Henry Westen Show - April 09, 2019

Episode 4： Did Pope Francis really praise leading abortionist？

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