By CatholicVote | Created at 2024-11-06 22:06:25 | Updated at 2024-11-07 00:45:57
2 hours ago
CV NEWS FEED // Pope Francis recently made a private, unannounced visit to Emma Bonino, one of Italy’s most prominent and controversial figures. Bonino is known for performing thousands of illegal abortions and paving the way for the procedure’s legalization in Italy.
Following Bonino’s hospitalization for breathing complications, the Pope visited her at her residence in Rome after completing scheduled meetings at the Pontifical Gregorian University, according to Vatican News. When asked about her health, Francis stated that she was “very well,” and that the visit had been “cordial.”
In a post on X, Bonino said of the Pope’s visit, “when he told me that I am ‘an example of freedom and resistance,’ it filled me with joy.”
Prior to the papal visit, the notorious abortionist expressed her continued commitment to advocating for such things as euthanasia. In comments on X, she said, “There are many battles to fight, I want to regain my strength quickly — there’s still so much to conquer: from citizenship (for illegal immigrants) to euthanasia. When it comes to rights, we can’t stand still.”
Bonino is widely known as a leading figure behind Italy’s legalization of abortion. In the early 1970s, she became infamous for performing thousands of illegal abortions, often using crude methods, including a homemade device operated by a bicycle pump. After having an illegal abortion herself at age 27 and subsequently serving a brief prison sentence, Bonino became a hero to the left-leaning media.
In 1975, she founded the Information Centre on Sterilization and Abortion (CISA), which became instrumental in lobbying for the legalization of abortion in Italy, leading to its passage in 1978. Since then, pro-life sources have credited Bonino’s influence as responsible, at least indirectly, for more than six million abortions in Italy.
Despite her legacy in promoting abortion and the Church’s universal condemnation of it as heinous murder of the innocent, Pope Francis has repeatedly shown admiration for Bonino and publicly praised her.
In a 2016 interview with one of Italy’s most prominent dailies, Corriere Della Serra, he described her as one of Italy’s “forgotten greats,” even comparing her to significant figures like Konrad Adenauer and Robert Schuman. Adenauer, a devout Catholic, led Germany’s post war recovery, and Schuman, a French diplomat and devout Catholic, is regarded as the founder of the European Union. He was proclaimed a Servant of God in May 2004.
The description was met with dismay among pro-life Catholics, who see Bonino’s role in legalizing abortion as destructive to Italy’s moral landscape. Yet, Pope Francis defended his stance against objections based on her abortion advocacy, saying, “true, but never mind… We have to look at people, at what they do,” appearing to ignore her role in Italy’s pro-abortion movement.
Pope Francis’ history with Bonino goes back to her role as Foreign Minister in 2013, shortly after he became Pope. They continued to have contact, including a personal call he made in 2014 at her request to help end a hunger strike by Radical Party leader Marco Pannella, who was protesting prison conditions.
In 2015, Francis invited her to the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican, perplexing Catholics and pro-lifers who oppose the long-time abortionist, according to Vatican Insider. Pope Francis has also invited Bonino to multiple private audiences, including a 2016 meeting to discuss immigration.
Bonino’s political career spans decades and has cemented her as a celebrated figure among left-leaning and pro-abortion circles in Italy and beyond. Her advocacy laid the groundwork for Italy’s abortion laws, and she has continued to promote her cause, recently endorsing Kamala Harris in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
Bonino remains vocal about her stance on abortion. Following the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, she condemned the ruling, saying it “makes the USA jump back 50 years.” She urged Italy and Europe to remain vigilant on “reproductive rights,” warning that without continued progress, “you risk going back.”
