When a woman is in a crisis pregnancy, it may seem like there is no hope — no one to help her, no one who cares, no way to get through the stress. But sometimes, help can come from the most unlikely of places.
A woman named Anna had recently been divorced, and found herself pregnant after having an affair with a married man. She had fled to Rome after losing her job when she realized she was pregnant. The baby’s father told her that he would not accept paternity of the child and pressured her to have an abortion. She eventually agreed, and made the appointment to take her preborn baby’s life. But first, she wrote a letter detailing her situation… and mailed it to Pope Francis.
After a few days, her phone rang.
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“Hello Anna, this is Pope Francis,” the voice on the line said. “I read your letter. We Christians must never lose our hope. A child is a gift of God, a sign of Providence.” Because of that phone call, Anna found the strength to keep her baby, telling him that she would not have an abortion, and would baptize her little boy or girl right after birth. “His words filled my heart with joy,” she said. “He told me that I had been very courageous and strong for my baby.” And Pope Francis gave her another beautiful gift. “I’m convinced that you won’t have any problem finding a spiritual father,” he told her. “And anyway, if that’s not the case, know that I am always here.”
During his papacy, Pope Francis has notably and publicly reached out to people in need of counsel and help, especially regarding pro-life matters. He personally convinced the victim of an acid attack to not undergo assisted suicide. He publicly pleaded for the lives of both Charlie Gard and Alfie Evans. These actions show firsthand that people seeking abortion or assisted suicide don’t really want to choose death; they’re doing so out of fear, because they think they have no choice, because they think they’re drowning, and that they have no support.
All they need is someone to throw them a lifeline, and Pope Francis has made it a point to do that. We should all follow his example.
