<p>If there&rsquo;s one thing the Catholic Church will never accept, it&rsquo;s abortion. ;</p>
<p>Even Pope Francis, who is widely considered the most progressive leader in the history of the Catholic Church, sees abortion as an unforgivable crime. Last weekend, he compared ;it to the Nazi&rsquo;s eugenics program. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Last century, the whole world was scandalized by what the Nazis did to purify the race,&rdquo; Francis said while speaking to an Italian family association. &ldquo;Today, we do the same thing but with white gloves.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Francis urged families to accept children &ldquo;as God gives them to us&rdquo; and criticized pre-natal tests that inform parents about birth defects and other problems.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve heard it&rsquo;s fashionable &#8211; or at least habitual &#8211; to perform certain exams in the early months of pregnancy, to see if the baby is unwell or comes with a certain problem,&rdquo; said Francis. &ldquo;And to have an easy life, one does away with an innocent.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The Pope&#8217;s ;views on abortion are part of what he calls a &ldquo;throw-away&rdquo; ;culture that marginalizes the sick, poor, elderly, and unborn and places little value in the traditional family. ;</p>
<p>Francis plans to discuss these issues in August when he travels to Dublin to speak at the ;international Catholic Church Meeting With Families.</p>
<p>Ireland voted to legalize abortion in May. ;</p>
<p><strong>Author&rsquo;s Note:</strong> Pope Francis&rsquo;s firm stance on abortion is sure to win renewed support from conservative Catholics feeling estranged by his progressive views on issues like gay marriage and climate change. ;</p>
<p><strong>Editor&#8217;s Note:</strong> While some may believe the absolutist position the Catholic Church has on abortion is a mistake, philosophically, it is the only possible position for the Catholic Church. They can never risk a position that results in the death of children by whatever definitions are even remotely possible. I&#8217;m just glad to see the new controversial Pope, has decided not to take a risk with the Church on the one issue that could destroy it.</p>