The Pope’s decision to make the ability of priests to absolve the
“grave sin” of abortion permanent, means Canon Law is to be updated too.
Francis had granted priests this power as an exception during the
Jubilee Year. The man in charge of co-ordinating the Holy Year of Mercy,
Mgr. Rino Fisichella, explained this in his presentation of the
pastoral letter “Misericordia et Misera”, with which Francis concluded
the Jubilee that ran from 8 December 2015 to 20 November 2016.
“Canon Law currently stipulates that absolution for the sin of
abortion is a faculty that lies with the bishop of the diocese concerned
and in some instances, the bishop may delegate some or all priests in
his diocese to absolve this sin,” explained the President of the
Pontifical Council for New Evangelisation. “During the Jubilee, Pope
Francis had granted all priests the power to absolve this sin, as a
concrete sign that God’s mercy is boundless. Therefore, even people who
commit this sin – which the Pope reiterates, is extremely grave – will
have no trouble obtaining God’s forgiveness if they are repentant. Canon
Law is a body of laws and whenever the Pope introduces a measure that
alters the dictates of the law, the article that specific measure
concerns, necessarily needs to be changed”. More specifically,
Fisichella explained, responding to journalists questions, “a latae
sententiae excommunication is revoked”. The provision, Fisichella added,
does not only apply to women but also to “doctors, nurses and those
involved in carrying out the abortion”, as long as they repent: “The sin
applies to everyone, so forgiveness of this sin also applies to
everyone practically involved.”
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Seeds of Wisdom
11 hours ago
1 comment:
The fewer things incur the practically unenforceable and canonically convoluted sentence of "latae sententiae" excommunication, the better.
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