VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis will allow Roman Catholic priests to formally forgive women who have had abortions if they are contrite and seek forgiveness.
Francis said in a letter Tuesday explaining his decision that he has met many women bearing "the scar of this agonizing" decision to abort.
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He said God's forgiveness cannot be denied to those who repent, and thus is giving all priests the discretion to absolve the sin in the Holy Year of Mercy running Dec. 8, 2015 until late November 2016.
He added: "I am well aware of the pressure that has led [women] to this decision. I know that it is an existential and moral ordeal."
For his part, Bishop David Zubik agreed with the pope and said “there isn’t anything God will not forgive.”
“When he focused on abortion, that’s a pretty serious sin in the eyes of the Catholic Church, he wanted to be able to say that sin can be forgiven as well,” Zubik said.
The pope’s announcement also caught the attention of U.S. Sen. Bob Casey.
“My faith inspires me, it informs me, but it doesn’t dictate how I vote,” Casey said. “That is kind of the basic way I look at decisions and votes that I make here.”
While a lot of the focus remains on abortion, Zubik said the pope’s message is part of a larger message he will impart when he visits Philadelphia later this month.
“He’s coming for one reason only, to do the same thing from Sept. 22 and the five or six days he’ll be in the country that he did with this announcement today, to draw people closer to God,” Zubik said.