Pope directs a pastoral approach to confession of abortion

Pope Francis has ruled that all priests during the Year of Mercy will be authorised to grant absolution for the sin of abortion, writes James Roberts.

The Pope issued the instruction in a letter on Tuesday to Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation, who is organising the jubilee year that runs from 8 December – the feast of the Immaculate Conception – to
20 November 2016, the feast of Christ the King.

According to canon law, only bishops can lift the excommunication imposed on those responsible for an abortion. However, in many countries including the UK, bishops have permitted priests to absolve them of the sin of abortion.

The letter came four weeks ahead of Francis’ visit to the United States where the issue of abortion has sharply divided Catholics. A Pew survey on Wednesday found that little more than half of American Catholics (57 per cent) regard abortion as a sin and only one third (33 per cent) see opposing abortion as “essential” to their Catholic identity.

The survey also finds large numbers of Catholics not regarding as sinful the use of contraceptives (66 per cent), cohabitation (54 per cent) and divorce and remarriage without an annulment (49 per cent).

The Pope’s letter to Archbishop Fisichella expresses in strong terms his awareness of the anguish suffered by many women who have an abortion and their belief that they have no other option. The forgiveness of God “cannot be denied to one who has repented, especially when that person approaches the Sacrament of Confession with a sincere heart in order to obtain reconciliation with the Father”, writes Francis.

He also underlines the gravity of the sin of abortion and instructs priests absolving penitents to make them aware of it.

Also in the Pope’s letter is dispensation for priests of the schismatic Society of St Pius X to hear confessions and give absolution. He writes: “I trust that in the near future solutions may be found to recover full communion with the priests and superiors of the Fraternity. In the meantime, I establish that those who during the Holy Year of Mercy approach these priests of the Fraternity of St Pius X to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation shall validly and licitly receive the absolution of their sins.”