By Dave Andrusko

Pope Francis
(Getty Image}
It was an important setting– the yearly Papal address to diplomats accredited to the Vatican, a speech known as his “State of the World” address.
In a section of the speech about the rights of children around the world, Pope Francis said this today: “It is horrific even to think that there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day.”
In covering the Pope’s speech, the Associated Press said the “remarks that were less diplomatic and more a reflection of his own priorities, Francis called for the elderly to be treated with respect that their wisdom warrants, and for children to be protected from exploitation, slavery and hunger.”
With respect to the elderly, the Pope said
“It also happens that the elderly are looked upon as a burden, while young people lack clear prospects for their lives. Yet the elderly and the young are the hope of humanity. The elderly bring with them wisdom born of experience; the young open us to the future and prevent us from becoming self-absorbed.”
Referring to the unborn in the context of what he has called “the throwaway culture,” the Pope said
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Unfortunately, what is thrown away is not only food and dispensable objects, but often human beings themselves, who are discarded as “unnecessary”. For example, it is frightful even to think there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day; children being used as soldiers, abused and killed in armed conflicts; and children being bought and sold in that terrible form of modern slavery which is human trafficking, which is a crime against humanity.”
(Pope Francis’s remarks can be read in their entirety here.)