Pope grants priests authority to forgive abortions

Pope Francis granted all Roman Catholic priests the authority to forgive abortions after the special permission that he gave in 2015 expired at the end of the Holy Year of Mercy.

In his apostolic letter, he emphasized that "abortion is a grave sin" while stating that "there is no sin that God's mercy cannot reach," the Catholic Herald reported.

"I henceforth grant to all priests, in virtue of their ministry, the faculty to absolve those who have committed the sin of procured abortion," said the pope in his letter.

"The provision I had made in this regard, limited to the duration of the Extraordinary Holy Year, is hereby extended, notwithstanding anything to the contrary," he added.

Bishops regularly allow their priests to forgive those who have procured abortions but it was made universal by the pope during the Holy Year.

Without the permission, priests are required to forward the case to their bishops before a sacramental absolution can be given to a woman who had an abortion.

Father James Bretzke, a professor of moral theology at Boston College, stated that the Pope's announcement is a significant change in the Church law.

"Not only is this a change in Church policy, it changes Church law. I think it's very significant in the context of Pope Francis' theme of his pontificate, which is going to go down as the pontificate of mercy; he sees mercy as absolutely the key," said Bretzke, as reported by Reuters.

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, who was in charge of the activities of the Holy Year, said in a news conference at the Vatican that the changes apply to all Roman Catholics who are involved in abortion, including the medical staff.

The pope also granted the permission for Catholics to receive forgiveness from members of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, which separated from Rome in the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council.

The jubilee Holy Year of Mercy began on the feast of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8, 2015, and ended on the feast of Christ the King on Nov. 20. The next jubilee year will be celebrated in 2025, according to Crux.