1- When a young woman has a sinful relationship with a non-Christian man, and pregnancy occurs, shouldn't abortion be the solution?

+ According to the Holy Bible, the Church is “The pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15), so it follows then that priests are required to teach the truth at all times. Accordingly, in every liturgy in the Coptic Orthodox Church, we pray, “And those who rightly divide the word of truth with him [With His Holiness the Patriarch], grant them unto Your Holy Church to shepherd Your flock in peace.” If the truth is not in the Church of God, where should we seek it?!

+ When some people say that abortion is the solution for a pregnancy resulting from sin and ask the church to give them permission to commit murder, it is as if they are asking the church to deviate from its faith in God, Who says, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” (Jn. 14:6). This is like someone who would cover up something wrong with a lie, which is an even greater sin, for, through lying, we become children of the devil (Jn. 8:44).

+ The easy solution is not always the best one.

+ The Church always wants to help people in their darkest moments and find solutions to their problems, but the help provided must be based on the Truth and according to the commandments of God. The Church cannot accept breaking the commandments as it has very bad consequences. The Church does not reject the easy solution unless it is wrong and against the will of God.

2- We know that the Church and the priests should help and support the people, so why does the Church complicate things by forbidding abortion?

+ The Church is a spiritual institution with the sole purpose of the salvation of mankind so that people can enjoy the true life in fellowship with the Holy Trinity. The Church is the embassy of heaven on earth, the body of Christ, the face of God in the world and the treasury of the grace of God and His love for all people. The rule of the Church is to help people to live better lives in the way of God. So the Church encourages all people to obey the commandments of God that are spirit and life (Jn. 6:63), "which if a man does, he shall live by them" (Leviticus 18:5).

+ The Church as an embassy of Christ is fully committed to His instructions. The priest, as a steward of the mysteries of God (1 Cor. 4:1), cannot serve God by disobeying His commandments for he consecrated his life to serve the Church, which is the kingdom of God on earth. He completely submits his will to the will of God, not the wrong ideas of society.

+ The priest is committed to do the work of Christ, and the help he provides is within the commandments of Christ to improve the relationship between man and God, not to separate man from God.

+ Under no circumstances can the Church give permission for abortion, for the commandment of God, the head of the Church, is “You shall not murder.” (Ex. 20:13).  

+ If in the past a priest gave permission to abort, this could have been because of a lack of knowledge or unawareness of the Holy Bible, which warns us, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you from being priest to Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God. I also will forget your children.” (Hos. 4:6).

+ The Church does not complicate things. We only walk in the way of the commandments of God in love. We cannot walk according to our personal opinions but according to God’s discipline and within His commandments to help all people. If we give permission to abort, we become partners in the crime of murder and the shedding of innocent blood. May God deliver us from all evil.

(To be continued)