Sept. 01--Pope Francis announced Tuesday that all priests can offer women who have had abortions forgiveness during the Roman Catholic Church's Holy Year beginning in December.
Francis proposed the indulgence in a letter to the president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization. Francis said priests should both welcome women who seek forgiveness for terminating a pregnancy, and reflect on "the gravity of the sin committed."
In the letter, Francis offered his own reflection on the dilemma facing some women, regardless of whether they know the church's view on the practice.
"The tragedy of abortion is experienced by some with a superficial awareness, as if not realizing the extreme harm that such an act entails," Francis wrote. "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," he continued. "I am well aware of the pressure that has led them to this decision. I know that it is an existential and moral ordeal."
The Catholic church teaches that women who know the church's opposition to abortion, but still seek one, excommunicate themselves. They must abstain from receiving communion until they receive absolution.
Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Thomas Rosica, said many bishops have granted priests permission to forgive abortion. What makes the pope's message unusual is the pastoral way that he delivered the message.
"Forgiveness of the sin of abortion does not condone abortion nor minimize its grave effects," Rosica said. "The newness is clearly Pope Francis' pastoral approach."
In March, Francis announced a jubilee year to be called the Holy Year of Mercy. The jubilee will begin on Dec. 8, the Catholic feast of the Immaculate Conception, and end on Nov. 20, 2016, the church's feast day of Christ the King.
A jubilee year is a special year called by the church to receive blessings and pardon from God. Popes have designated jubilee years every 25 or 50 years since the early 14th century. Pope John Paul II called the most recent jubilee year in 2000.
To receive absolution for their sins, faithful are asked to make a pilgrimage to the papal basilicas in Rome or to their local cathedral, make confession, participate in Mass and pray for the pope's intentions. However, the pope added in his letter that the sick and incarcerated should be granted pardon as well, even if they can't make such a pilgrimage.
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