Pope: Abortion like hiring a killer

POPE Francis has compared abortion to hiring a hitman, likening the procedure to ‘eliminating’ an enemy.

Speaking at his weekly audience in St Peter’s Square, Pope Francis said: ‘Getting rid of a human being is like resorting to a contract killer to solve a problem.

‘Is it just to resort to a contract killer to solve a problem? Interrupting a pregnancy is like eliminating someone.’

The comments hint at a shift in position, with many believing the 81-year-old had softened the Church’s opposition to abortion.

But yesterday he said abortion shows a ‘contradictory approach to life [that] allows the suppression of human life in the mother’s womb to safeguard other values’.

‘How can an act that suppresses an innocent and helpless life as it blossoms be therapeutic, civil or, simply, humane?’ he added.

Abortion has been legal in Italy for 40 years but the practice is still shrouded in controversy in the country, with far-Right groups pushing to ban the procedure.

In June, Pope Francis denounced abortion as the ‘white glove’ equivalent of the Nazi-era eugenics programme and urged families to accept the children given to them by God.

Sarah Cartin, of Christians for Choice, said yesterday: ‘Pope Francis once again shows complete disdain for women by making absurd and inflammatory statements about abortion.’

Kerry Abel, of Abortion Rights, said: ‘These comments are disappointing and out of touch.’

Clare Murphy, of abortion provider BPAS, said: ‘The language he uses is inflammatory and inaccurate. Comparing abortion with contract killing is a ludicrous analogy.’