Pope Francis, who is the 266th and current Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, has granted all priests the power to forgive abortion, a right previously reserved for bishops in most parts of the world. He said:
‘I henceforth grant to all priests, in virtue of their ministry, the faculty to absolve those who have committed the sin of procured abortion.
The provision I had made in this regard, limited to the duration of the Extraordinary Holy Year, is hereby extended.’
The Argentine Pope made the announcement in a document known as an ‘apostolic letter’ after close of the Church’s ‘Holy Year of Mercy’ on Sunday, explaining that he wanted to restate as firmly as he can that abortion is a grave sin, since it puts an end to an innocent life but insisted that there was no sin God’s mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart seeking to be reconciled with God.
According to Independent report, the change would last for at least the rest of his papacy.