Pope takes on abortion before landing in Brazil

Pope Benedict XVI arrived this afternoon in Brazil (image, along with Brazil's president) but not before shying away from remarking on abortion. During the flight to Brazil, the Pope agreed with Mexican Church officials who want to excommunicate any Mexico City politicians that supported the decriminalization of first trimester abortions.

A Vatican spokesman tried to clarify the Pope’s remarks but did not discount the possibility of excommunicating politicos:

Father Federico Lombardi said that "legislative action in favor of abortion is incompatible with participation in the Eucharist" and therefore "politicians exclude themselves from Communion".

Meanwhile, Brazilian Health Minister Jose Gomez Temporao supported remarks he made last month on abortion by arguing that the choice to abort should be “up to each person’s faith.” Currently, Brazilian law permits abortions in the first trimester only if the mother’s life is at risk from being pregnant or if rape caused the pregnancy.

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Image- Canada.com

Links- Guardian UK, The Latin Americanist, BBC News, Monsters & Critics, Wikipedia, Canada.com