WASHINGTON — National Right to Life joins with millions of faithful worldwide in mourning the death of Pope Francis who was a staunch defender of life.

“Pope Francis, like his predecessors, was a strong advocate for the value and dignity of every human life, from conception to natural death,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “His stalwart support of the right to life was grounded in compassion and love.” 

In his New Year’s Day message, Pope Francis called upon the Church faithful to care for “every child born of a woman” including protecting “the precious gift of life: life in the womb, the lives of children, the lives of the suffering, the poor, the elderly, the lonely and the dying.” Pope Francis asked “[F]or a firm commitment to respect the dignity of human life from conception to natural death, so that each person may cherish his or her own life and all may look with hope to the future.”

In a message to the Italian Movement for Life, Pope Francis wrote, “The unborn child represents, in the fullest sense, every man and woman who does not count, who has no voice.”

“Pope Francis will be remembered for his dedication to the most vulnerable among us and for championing the right to life,” said Tobias.

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.