Pope Francis Allows All Priests In the Catholic Church To Forgive the Sin Of Abortion

Pope Francis declared that priests in the Catholic church can now forgive abortion. He said, "I want to insist as firmly as I can that abortion is a grave sin because it puts an end to an innocent life," and added "I can and I 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." If a Catholic person gets an abortion, they get automatic excommunication unless given absolution. According to the New York Times, bishops in the Catholic church could already delegate power to priests to forgive abortion, but since the Pope has said this, all priests can now pardon the sin of abortion without needing the consent of a bishop.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/11/21/pope-francis-allows-priests-absolve-grave-sin-abortion/94208410/

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/21/world/europe/pope-francis-abortion-priests.html?_r=0