The pope believes that the church's crystal-clear teaching needs to be vigorously restated. Using the charism belonging to the papal office, John Paul II states: "Therefore by the authority which Christ conferred upon Peter and his successors, in communion with the bishops - who on various occasions have condemned abortion and who in the aforementioned consultation, albeit dispersed throughout the world, have shown unanimous agreement concerning this doctrine - I declare that direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, always constitutes a grave moral disorder, since it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being. This doctrine is based upon the natural law and upon the written word of God, is transmitted by the church's tradition and taught by the ordinary and universal magisterium" (#62).

As the supreme guardian of our faith, the Holy Father reassures us that the church, guided by the Holy Spirit, teaches that procured abortion is always an intrinsically evil act. This teaching belongs to Catholic doctrine infallibly proposed by the church.  Since the pope also wants to convince those who might not share his views, he answers two arguments which are put forward to justify abortion in certain situations.

First, those who justify abortion in cases such as rape often argue that the fetus can be considered an "unjust aggressor." Because the unborn child was conceived by an act of violence, it is not innocent. Therefore the fetus is not protected by the ban against taking innocent human life. Abortion could then be allowed, they claim, as a form of legitimate self-defense. But John Paul writes that "no one more absolutely innocent could be imagined" (#58). Despite the tragedy of the circumstances,

This is part of a series on the Gospel of Life by Fr. J. Michael Miller, C.S.B., which first appeared in our Sunday Visitor. Used with permission. To subscribe to Our Sunday Visitor, phone toll free: 1-800-348-2440