Pope Francis Tells the Story of a Beautiful Woman Who Had an Abortion Just to Preserve Her Figure (Must Read)

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Pope Francis Tells the Story of a Beautiful Woman Who Had an Abortion Just to Preserve Her Figure (Must Read)

While speaking to pilgrims in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall during his weekly general audience on Wednesday, Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis has spoken against women who have abortions to keep their figures as he warned about the modern world's obsessions with power, success and beauty.

In an anecdote he said dated from his time as Bishop of Buenos Aires, Francis recounted the story of a a very beautiful woman who was inordinately proud of how she looked, adding that she had an abortion to preserve her looks.

'She said, as if it was natural, "Yes, I had to have an abortion because my appearance is important",' the 80-year-old, whose papacy began in March 2013, said during his midweek public audience on Wednesday.

Attitudes like this, he said 'are the idols, and they take you on the wrong path and they don't bring you happiness'.

'When values such as physical beauty, health become idols to which everything must be sacrificed they create confusion in our spirit and in our hearts.

'Rather than promoting life, they drive us towards death,' he added in comments that also targeted 'power, success and vanity with their illusions of eternity and omnipotence.'

Catholic teaching considers abortion as akin to the most heinous of murders.

Francis does not waver from that line but has authorised priests to absolve women who have had terminations, something which only a bishop could previously do.

In November last year, he said priests will from now on be able to permanently absolve the 'grave sin' of women who have abortions.