Pope Francis this morning said that, as part of the celebration of the Holy Year of Mercy, he will permit priests to absolve women of the sin of abortion.
While the Pope’s announcement does not change Catholic teaching on abortion, it once again highlights his intense belief that the Church must enable believers to experience “a true moment of encounter with the mercy of God.”
Under current Catholic teaching, women who procure an abortion are de facto excommunicated from the church.
Given that excommunciation is the most severe ecclesiastical penalty imposed by the Church, only the Pope himself or a local Bishop or a priest authorised by either the Pope or the Bishop has the power to absolve from excommunication.
However, throughout Holy Year, which runs from December 8th, 2015 to November 20th, 2016, all priests will be empowered to administer absolution for the “sin” of abortion.
The Pope made his announcement in a letter to Archbishop Rino Fisichella, head of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation, in which he outlines "several points which I believe require attention" during the celebration of the Holy Year.
The letter offers the clearest explanation yet of how Francis conceives this Holy Year, and the practise of indulgences linked to it.
Francis says that, whether in their own diocese or as a pilgrim to Rome, he wants the faithful to have a “genuine experience of God’s mercy”, adding that in the obtaining of an Indulgence, “it is important that this moment be linked, first and foremost, to the Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession)...”
The Pope then goes on to consider the position of the elderly and the sick, saying that they may obtain the Jubilee Indulgence “through the various means of communciation”.
In relation to those in prison, he points out that Jubilee Year has always represented an opportunity for a great amnesty, adding that prisoners may obtain the Indulgence in prison chapels.
Earlier this week, daily “Il Fatto Quotidiano” reported that the Pope’s desire that up to 1,000 prisoners attend one of his public audiences during Holy Year had prompted reservations amongst the Italian police authorities, worried that some prisoners might use the occasion to attempt an escape.
Finally, Francis turns his attention to the question of abortion, “one of the serious problems of our time”, saying:
“The tragedy of abortion is experienced by some with a superficial awareness, as if not realising the extreme harm that such an act entails. Many others, on the other hand, although experiencing this moment as a defeat, believe that they have no other option. I think in particular of all the women who have resorted to abortion.
“I am well aware of the pressure that has led them to this decision. I know that it is an existential and moral ordeal. I have met so many women who bear in their heart the scar of this agonising and painful decision. What has happened is profoundly unjust; yet only understanding the truth of it can enable one not to lose hope. The forgiveness of God cannot be denied to one who has repented...”
Pope Francis then adds that, “for this reason” and “not withstanding anything to the contrary” he will concede to all priests “the discretion to absolve of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it.”