On whether or not the Church condemns women who undergo the procedure, Cardinal Rivera insisted that the Church instead has “a message of reconciliation and mercy” for them. “The Church, like the good mother she is, knows that abortion gravely harms women. For this reason she offers them, above all forgiveness, the ointment that cures the wounds caused by abortion,” he said. “But she also offers them accompaniment so that they can forgive themselves and overcome the well-known symptoms of the trauma of abortion, which some call post-abortion stress syndrome and which those who promote abortion try to cover up,” the cardinal added.