Pope asks Dutch citizens to rethink direction on abortion, euthanasia

Published: 2005-01-24

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope John Paul II asked the people of the Netherlands to rethink the direction their country is taking on abortion and euthanasia and return to guaranteeing the right to life of each of its citizens. Welcoming Monique Frank, the new Dutch ambassador to the Holy See, the pope framed his comments in praise for the Netherlands' commitment to promoting peace, development and human rights around the world. "For several years, Dutch society, marked by the phenomenon of secularization, has been engaged in a new politics in matters of legislation concerning the beginning and the end of human life," the pope said Jan. 22. "The Holy See cannot hesitate in making known its clear position and in calling on Catholics in the Netherlands to give witness to their attachment to absolute respect for the human person from conception to natural death," he said.

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