Pope Francis Welcomes Family with Anencephalic Baby

My heart is pounding and I am smiling ear to ear as I have just finished reading this article. Pope Francis, during the closing Mass of World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, welcomed a baby with anencephaly and her family during the offertory procession, giving all of them a blessing. Although most babies with anencephaly do not survive more than a few minutes following birth, this sweet baby girl has defied the odds and is still alive. Pope Francis met this child’s parents outside of a cathedral on Saturday and requested that they be a part of the offertory at Mass on Sunday. Although these parents could have legally aborted their baby, they chose to welcome their daughter as a gift from God instead.

It is hard to describe how it feels, as a parent of two babies with anencephaly myself, to read about another family’s journey and their tremendous encounter with Pope Francis. Most people have not even heard of anencephaly, in large part because so few parents choose to carry their babies to term after learning their child’s diagnosis. To see the word “anencephaly” in a news story, even though the article is on a pro-life website, carries a lot of meaning. After reading so much literature on anencephaly with phrases like “incompatible with life” and “fatal birth defect,” it is nice to read the words “sick” and “disability,” which somehow feel more accessible to me. Perhaps this doesn’t make any sense, but in my head it makes my babies seem more like just babies – babies who happen to who to be fatally ill, but still just babies – rather than a scientific category of persons.

In any case, Bravo! to Pope Francis for following the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and praise God for these parents and their beautiful witness.

Mary, Queen of Heaven, pray for us!