By Kevin and Theresa Burke
Pope Francis is well known for encouraging his clergy and laity to reach out to the forgotten, the marginalized, and those facing economic and social oppression, sharing, “The true Church is at the peripheries.” Pope Francis famously instructed his clergy, “Be shepherds, with the odor of the sheep.”
The pope was sharing a vision for priestly ministry where clergy are not sequestered in rectories, but intimately engaged with their sheep, in the messy, complicated realities of their lives. Many of the articles and podcasts released after the death of Francis rightly reference the pontiff’s advocacy for migrants, the poor, and others who have experienced persecution and violation of their basic human rights.
There is, however, one group of women and men who have felt marginalized in the Church and society, but are not mentioned in media coverage: Those who have participated in the death of their preborn children.
Sharon, after attending a Rachel’s Vineyard weekend for healing after abortion shares:
“I used to avoid worship services after my abortion. I told myself, and others, it was because I disagreed with my church’s teaching about ‘reproductive rights.’ Many years later, I realized that this pro-abortion stance was a way to protect myself from the truth I could not face – those two abortions, one surgical, the other using abortion pills, deeply hurt me emotionally and spiritually.”
The pope first learned about Rachel’s Vineyard during his time as archbishop of Buenos Aires (1998-2013). A priest who served on the local Rachel’s Vineyard team in the archdiocese often dined with the future pope on Sunday evenings. He would frequently share the great pain and anguish, but also the powerful emotional and spiritual healing, he witnessed on those weekends.
Years later, when a representative of Rachel’s Vineyard met with Pope Francis, he responded with great enthusiasm exclaiming, “Rachel’s Vineyard is very good; it is an excellent work! Go forward with that!”
In a 2018 letter to Rachel’s Vineyard founder, Dr. Theresa Burke, the pope further affirmed the hundreds of laity and clergy serving in Rachels’s Vineyard ministry around the world, and those sharing the love of Christ with people suffering after abuse and trauma, in her program Grief to Grace:
Thank you very much for your work in Rachel’s Vineyard and Grief to Grace… These are fruitful works, that heal, that pour out mercy. Thanks for what you do.
Please, do not stop praying for me. May Jesus bless you and the Holy Virgin take care of you. Cordially, Francisco.
The pope was not only encouraging the work of Rachel’s Vineyard, but all Catholic and interdenominational programs sharing the reconciliation and healing of Jesus with women and men who have suffered the loss of their children through abortion.
As the Church prays and awaits the election of a new pope, we remember the concern of Pope Francis for those most in need of the accompaniment, mercy, and sacramental healing of the Church.
If you, or someone you love, has participated in any way in the death of a preborn child, know that the Church welcomes you.
Susan knows this first-hand. After attending a Rachel’s Vineyard weekend, she shares; “I wish that all people who have experienced abortion would give themselves this gift. There is a peace that only God can give.”
Don’t be afraid; reach out for the healing and peace of Christ.
Theresa Burke, Ph.D., and Kevin Burke, MSS, are the co-founders of Rachel’s Vineyard.
