AMERICA/ECUADOR – Legalization of abortion, the President threatens to resign: the Church praises him

Guayaquil (Agenzia Fides) – His Exc. Mgr. Antonio Arregui, Archbishop of Guayaquil and President of the Ecuadorian Episcopal Conference (CEE), has defined the position of the country's president, Rafael Correa, as "commendable" with regards to the issue of a possible legalization of abortion. Correa has in fact threatened to resign if his party, "Alianza País", continues to put pressure regading the approval of a reform that would legalize abortion.
In a note sent to Fides, Mgr. Arregui said he was "impressed by the courage, the quality with which the president spoke". Mgr. Arregui also states that the Church's position on this issue is well known: "We believe that human life is sacred and cannot be eliminated". As reported in the note sent to Fides, this week there will be an official statement of the Catholic Church.
Rafael Correa, speaking on TV, stigmatized in particular parliamentarians belonging to his party who support the bill for the decriminalization of abortion, a practice that currently the Criminal Code strictly prohibits. According to what the local press reports, Correa spoke of "serious betrayal and treachery", recalling that he had always made clear his opposition to any form of legalization of abortion. Correa defines himself "leftist, humanist and Catholic". (CE) (Agenzia Fides 14/10/2013)