...The pontiff said he will allow priests (click here) "discretion to absolve of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it" during the special year, beginning December 8.
"I am well aware of the pressure that has led [women] to this decision," he wrote in the announcement. "I know that it is an existential and moral ordeal.
Abortion is considered a grave sin by the Catholic church, and those who seek it are usually excommunicated. In normal circumstances, forgiveness can only be granted by senior church figures....
