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Pope Extends Right To Forgive Abortion-cnn by Nobody: 5:19pm On Nov 21, 2016 |
By Tim Hume and Cristiana Moisescu, CNN
UPDATED: NOV 21, 2016 16:02 GMT
Pope Francis has extended indefinitely the
power of Catholic priests to forgive abortions,
making the announcement in an apostolic letter
released Monday.
It continues a special dispensation granted last
year for the duration of the Year of Mercy --
which finished Sunday -- which gave all priests,
rather than just bishops, the power to absolve
the sin of abortion.
The announcement reiterates that the Church's
stance on abortion has not changed -- it is still
viewed as a "grave sin." But it makes it easier
for women who have had abortions to be
absolved for their actions, and rejoin the
Church.
"I wish to restate as firmly as I can that
abortion is a grave sin, since it puts an end to
an innocent life," the Pope's letter states.
"In the same way, however, I can and must
state that there is no sin that God's mercy
cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a
repentant heart seeking to be reconciled with
the Father."
The letter continues: "May every priest,
therefore, be a guide, support and comfort to
penitents on this journey of special
reconciliation.
"I henceforth grant to all priests, in virtue of
their ministry, the faculty to absolve those who
have committed the sin of procured abortion."
'Moral evil'
Since the first century, the Catholic Church has
held that abortion is a "moral evil." The
Catechism of the Catholic Church says that
every human life "from the moment of
conception until death is sacred" -- and that any
Catholic who procures an abortion incurs
automatic excommunication, a penalty that
often only a bishop can lift.
Pope Saint John Paul II, whose papacy ran
from 1978 to 2005, had a hardline view on
abortion, describing it as "murder," and the
Church has been a strong force behind pro-life
groups worldwide.
But Pope Francis announced a shift last year
when he said that priests around the world
would be authorized to forgive the "sin of
abortion" for the duration of the Church's Year
of Mercy, which ran from December 8, 2015 to
November 20, 2016.
The Year of Mercy is a longstanding Catholic
tradition during which believers may receive
special indulgences for their sins.
"The forgiveness of God cannot be denied to
one who has repented," he said at the time,
expressing sympathy for women who had been
through the "agonizing and painful" decision to
terminate their pregnancy.
In some regions, such as in the US and Britain,
priests have been delegated the power to
forgive abortion, but in most parts of the world
only bishops have that authority.
Vatican officials last year described the
temporary extension of these powers to priests
as "a widening of the church's mercy" -- and
indicated that it was possible they could be
extended beyond the Year of Mercy, as has
proved the case.
Priest: 'Another gesture of mercy and welcome'
The Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and
editor-at-large at America magazine in New
York, described Pope Francis' announcement as
"a significant one."
Before the Year of Mercy, in dioceses in many
parts of the world, special permission from a
bishop was required to absolve the sin of
abortion, he said.
"In the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis extended
that permission to all priests for a year. Today
he extended it indefinitely," he said.
"It's another gesture of mercy and welcome
from a Pope whose hallmarks are mercy and
welcome."
Pope Francis has forged a more forgiving,
merciful direction for the Church since his
papacy began in March 2013, taking a more
welcoming position toward groups that had
previously found themselves on the margins of
the Catholic establishment, such as gays and
lesbians, and divorced Catholics.
"Overall he is trying to make it easier for people
to be forgiven and feel forgiven," said Martin. |
Re: Pope Extends Right To Forgive Abortion-cnn by mclorenzo(m): 10:15pm On Nov 21, 2016 |
Is he GOD? Only GOD can forgive sin. So Catholic girls are free to carry out abortion nii? |
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