Pope Francis temporarily allows priests to forgive abortion

Pope Francis declared Tuesday that he will allow Roman Catholic priests to absolve women who have had abortions if they seek forgiveness during the upcoming Holy Year of Mercy.

The pontiff`s letter making the declaration is drawing global attention. In the letter, he allowed all rank-and-file priests to grant absolution during the Holy Year of Mercy he has proclaimed. The year runs December 8, 2015, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – the day of the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter`s Basilica – until November 20, 2016, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The pope expanded the absolution authority from bishops to all priests. In Roman Catholic, a Holy Year is a year when the church grants special grace to its believers. Holy Years normally take place every 25 years. While the next Holy Year is 2025, the Holy Year of Mercy was specially proclaimed by the pontiff.

According to Wednesday`s media release by the Catholic Bishops` Conference of Korea (CBCK) regarding the pope`s letter, abortion is considered killing a life and is a grave sin and violation of ethical rules of the Roman Catholic Church. Under the church`s law, those who commit abortion-related sins are automatically excommunicated.

The Catholic Church views the pope`s letter as an extension of his reform, which calls for the church`s inclusiveness toward homosexuals and divorced people. "(The pope`s letter) means that the church has extended a hand of reconciliation to neighbors suffering from pain," said Father Lee Jeong-ju, a chief spokesman for the CBCK. A woman believer in her 40s who attends a church in Seoul said, "There are some believers who seek abortion for unavoidable reasons but find it difficult to mention the issue in church. It seems that the pope made such agony official first to lessen the burdens on believers` hearts."

However, some project that the letter will likely cause more controversies other countries where the Roman Catholicism is more widespread than in Korea, where diocesan bishops have already granted priests the authority to absolve abortion-related sins as the Vatican acknowledged the country as an exception.

"Unlike in Korea, which still lacks the guilty conscience toward abortion, countries where Catholicism is widespread have thorough consciousness about life ethics," said Father Han Kwang-seok, a spokesman for the Diocese of Daejeon. "The pope`s letter could cause controversies, albeit temporarily."

The Vatican is cautious about the possibility that the letter will be interpreted as the Catholic Church`s change of its position on abortion. "This is by no means an attempt to minimise the gravity of this sin but to widen the possibility of showing mercy," Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said.

According to foreign media reports, a U.S. Jesuit priest expressed concern that the pope`s policy of stressing sympathy and mercy is considered the Catholic Church`s change, which might not be welcomed by traditionalists.

dunanworld@donga.com