Pope Francis: Women Who Have Aborted Can Seek Forgiveness In The Jubilee Year

By R. Siva Kumar - 02 Sep '15 08:04AM

In a breakthrough rule, Pope Francis seems to have gone against the traditional Catholic rules on abortion, announcing that women who have had an abortion can seek forgiveness from priests in the coming Jubilee Year, reported CNN.

It's a 'Year of Mercy'. "The forgiveness of God cannot be denied to one who has repented," the Pope pointed out, with a number of women who have beeen scarred by the "agonizing and painful" decision to go for it.

The Catholic rule is to automatically excommunicate people who have undergone abortions, until a bishop lifts the ban.

"I have decided, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, to allow all priests for the Jubilee Year to absolve of the sin of abortion those who procure it and who also seek forgiveness," he said.

Pope Francis feels that women tend to agree to abortions, as they "believe that they have no other option" and also said that "compassion and mercy" are the highest level virtues, reported BBC News.

One of the Catholic church's most important events, the Jubilee Year goes on from December 8, 2015 to November 26, 2015. The year typically takes place just once every 25 years unless a Pope declares one due to "extraordinary circumstances".

At present, American Catholics are undergoing a storm over the issue. Pope's decision will probably lead to more argument. A recent study conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute found that 51 percent of American Catholics believe that abortion should be legal in all or some cases.

Pope's decision was appreciated by the U.S-based pro-choice organization Catholics for Choice, which hailed it as an important step in the attempt to close the gap between what is expected of them, and the reality of their lives.

But the group does not believe that it will influence the beliefs or actions of Catholic women.

"Despite what Pope Francis has said, I do not believe that Catholic women will be queuing up to ask for forgiveness," said Jon O'Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, according to hngn.