A day after telling Catholics not to obsess with abortion, the Pope encourages doctors NOT to perform abortions

He was speaking to a congregation of Catholic gynecologists in Rome



'Every unborn child, though condemned to be aborted, has Christ's face'

He also condemned money as 'a seduction that leads slowly to perdition'



Yesterday he said church has tendency to indulge 'small minded things'

Then he said: 'We can't insist only on issues like abortion, gay marriage'

Pope Francis encouraged Catholic doctors to refuse to perform abortions today in a bizarre U-turn on comments yesterday that condemned the church's obsession with such 'small-minded things'.



Francis appeared to be offering an olive branch to the more doctrine-minded, conservative wings of the church today with a staunchly pro-life message during an audience on Friday with Catholic gynecologists.

It seemed to directly contradict his warning yesterday that the Catholic Church could fall 'like a house of cards' if it continues in its preoccupation with abortion, gay marriage and contraception.

'Even an unborn baby has the face of Jesus': Pope Francis denounced today's 'throw-away culture' that justifies disposing of lives

But today he seemed a different man, telling gynecologists : 'Every child that isn't born, but is unjustly condemned to be aborted, has the face of Jesus Christ, has the face of the Lord.'

The medical profession, he added, is a paradox because 'while we allow people new rights, we do not always protect life as a primary value and a basic right of every man.'



'One cannot worship God and money': He also talked fervently about the impact of greed

Thousands of devotees turned out for Pope Francis' mass in Saint Peter square at the Vatican earlier this month

He also talked fervently about the impact of money and greed on society.

'The widespread preoccupation with profits and today's throw-away culture, that enslave the hearts and minds of us all, come at a high cost: they serve to destroy the human race, above all the weak.'

'Greed,' he said, 'is a sin against the First Commandment. One cannot worship God and money.

The extraordinarily frank interview was published simultaneously by 16 of the order¿s newspapers around the world

'Here is why. Money becomes idolatry. And Jesus tells us that you cannot serve money and God. It must be one or the other.



'What happens with money? Money gives you a certain sense of wellbeing initially, sure. But you feel increasingly important [as it grows] and then comes vanity.'

Pope Francis said he was resolved to reform the church which had a tendency to get caught up in 'small minded things'

Describing money as 'a seduction that makes you to slide slowly into perdition', he added: 'Money corrupts thought, it corrupts faith and it sends you down the wrong track. The path of money always ends in corruption.'

The speech seemed a U-turn on comments he had made the previous day in which he said the Catholic Church could fall ‘like a house of cards’ if it continues in its obsession with abortion, gay marriage and contraception, the pope has warned.

In a remarkable 12,000 word interview published on Thursday, Francis said he was resolved to reform the church, which had a tendency to get caught up in 'small minded things'.



He said: 'We need to find a new balance otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall into a house of cards.'



‘It is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time,’ he said.



‘We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods.’



The extraordinarily frank interview, conducted by a Jesuit priest in Rome, was published simultaneously by 16 of the order’s newspapers around the world.



In a typically humble stance Francis declared himself a sinner.



‘This is the most accurate definition,’ he said, when asked what sort of man he was. ‘It is not a figure of speech or a literary genre. I am a sinner.’



He also claimed he had made mistakes earlier on during his career as Archbishop of Buenos Aires and had a propensity to become ‘authoritarian.’







