Pope “Stunned” by Abortion Rate in Spain. Wait Until He Hears About the U.S.!

Pope Francis was “stunned” to hear that there are more than 110,000 abortions performed in Spain annually, according to Fr. Jose Maria Gil Tamayo, spokesman for the Spanish Bishops’ Conference.

Holy Father, just wait until you hear about the U.S.!

Here in America, the abortion rate has exceeded one million unborn babies each year (1.16 million in 2009 alone).  In the state of California  alone, there were 181,730 reported abortions in 2011.   In the same year, New Yorkers aborted 138,370 of their children.

Father Tamayo told the Cope Radio Network that the Pope told the Spanish bishops, at the Vatican for their ad limina visit,

“The god of money is the focus and not the human person.  Whatever doesn’t fit into that arrangement is thrown away,and the children that are unwanted  are thrown away.”

In the same meeting, the Pope asked the bishops to put their churches in a state of “permanent mission” to help strengthen the faith, especially of children, and to bring back into the fold those who have left.  According to Vatican Radio, he said,

“Faith is not a mere cultural heritage, but a present, a gift that comes from a personal encounter with Jesus, and the free and joyful acceptance of the new life it offers.”

An evangelized family, the pontiff said, is a valuable agent of evangelization.  He encouraged the Spanish bishops to continue their efforts to develop priestly vocations.

According to EWTN News,

The group of Spanish bishops making their ad limina visit included Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela of Madrid, along with his auxiliaries, Bishop Fidel Herraez, Bishop Cesar Augusto Franco and Bishop Juan Antonio Martinez Camino. Bishop Joaquin Maria Lopez de Andujar of Getafe and Bishop Juan Antonio Reig Pla were also among the Spanish prelates.

Diocesan bishops make an ad limina visit to the Vatican every five years to report to the Pope on the state of their local churches.