Reuters: Pope extends power to forgive abortion to all Roman Catholic priests
“Pope Francis on Monday extended indefinitely to all Roman Catholic priests the power to forgive abortion, a right previously reserved for bishops or special confessors. Francis, who has made a more inclusive and forgiving Roman Catholic Church a characteristic of his papacy, made the announcement in a document known as an ‘apostolic letter’ after Sunday’s close of the Church’s ‘Holy Year of Mercy’…” (Pullella, 11/21).