Global father of the Catholics masses, Pope Francis has said that the Roman Catholic priests will absolve women who have terminated pregnancies if they seek for forgiveness in the upcoming Holy Year of Mercy.
New reports says that the pontiff said he will allow priests the “discretion to absolve of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it” during the special year, which will kick start on December 8.
The pope also called for forgiveness to doctors who performed it. He wrote in an announcement by the Vatican:
READ ALSO: Pope Francis Warns That Divorced Catholics Who Remarry Should Not Be Treated As Outcasts.
““I have decided, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, to concede to all priests for the Jubilee Year the discretion to absolve of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it,” he said.
I am well aware of the pressure that has led [women] to this decision, “I know that it is an existential and moral ordeal.
Abortion is considered a grave sin by the Catholic church, and those who seek it are usually excommunicated. In normal circumstances, forgiveness can only be granted by senior church figures.
