<img title="Pope Francis" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/nov/Pope-Francis.jpg" alt="Pope Francis" /> Pope Francis
Vatican City: Pope Francis, making permanent a temporary measure put in place for the Vatican&rsquo;s jubilee year, declared yesterday that all priests would have the right to forgive abortion.
&ldquo;I henceforth grant to all priests, in virtue of their ministry, the faculty to absolve those who have committed the sin of procured abortion,&rdquo; the pope wrote in an apostolic letter, marking the end of the &ldquo;Year of Mercy&rdquo;, which wound up yesterday.
&ldquo;The provision I had made in this regard, limited to the duration of the Extraordinary Holy Year, is hereby extended, notwithstanding anything to the contrary,&rdquo; he wrote.
The 79-year-old said he had to &ldquo;restate as firmly as I can that abortion is a grave sin, since it puts an end to an innocent life&rdquo;.
On Sunday, as he brought the jubilee to an end by closing the bronze-panelled Holy Door in Saint Peter&rsquo;s Square, Francis gave an interview in which he slammed abortion as &ldquo;a horrendous crime&rdquo;.
But yesterday he said the end of the special year did not mean the end of mercy itself, and so-called sinners must be given a chance to repent.
&ldquo;I must state that there is no sin that God&rsquo;s mercy can&rsquo;t reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart...,&rdquo; he said in the letter.

Pope Francis, making permanent a temporary measure put in place for the Vatican&rsquo;s jubilee year, declared yesterday that all priests would have the right to forgive abortion

Pope Francis: All priests can now pardon abortion

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Pope Francis: All priests can now pardon abortion

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