Archbishop Ravel: What is the Church's Position on Abortion?

“That your yes be yes”, is the episcopal motto of Archbishop Luc Ravel, the new archbishop of Strasbourg, who was installed on April 2, 2017. In an interview with the newspaper Les Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace, published on July 2, he spoke openly on several delicate subjects.

The Alsatian newspaper brought up an editorial signed by Bishop Ravel in 2015 for the monthly bulletin of the Catholic Military Chaplaincy. Just after the January 2015 terrorist attacks, the then-bishop for the armed forces wrote: “The Islamic ideology has just killed 17 more victims in France. But the ‘politically correct’ ideology kills 200,000 victims in their mother's womb every year. Abortion has become a fundamental right as a weapon of mass destruction.” This did not fail to createcontroversy, so much so that the monthly bulletin of the diocese for the armed forces was forbidden to use the Ministry of Defense’s logo.

More than two years later, the new archbishop’s determination and free way of speaking do not seem dimmed in the least: “I will not put up with not being free; it’s practically physical”, added Archbishop Ravel: “I speak a lot about freedom. God made us free. That’s what salvation is; it is very important.”

The new archbishop, who has been a member of the doctrinal commission of the Bishops’ Conference of France since 2011, remains faithful to his position – which is also that of the Church, which considers abortion as homicide: “Abortion is not only conceded but promoted. It’s a promotion and I cannot accept it,” he forcefully declared.

He explains that it is not just a question of faith, but because he loves France. But the prelate who is a graduate of the IFP School, cannot be taxed with discrimination: “I am of a mixed race myself; it does not bother me at all for others to come,” he declared, before adding: “We must let life flow with generosity. That is the surest sign of the strength of a nation and a civilization. There is a very close connection”.

As far as the fertility of the Muslim population in France goes, Archbishop Ravel warned: “The Muslim believers know very well that their fertility is such today that they call it … the Great Replacement. They tell you in a very calm, very positive way, ‘One day all this, all this will be ours’.”

This free tone and strong conviction are rarely heard coming from the Bishops’ Conference of fFrance.