Posted on 05/07/2015 7:08:16 AM PDT by Gamecock
Full title: Pope Francis Allows Priests to Begin Pardoning Women and Doctors Who’ve Performed Abortions, Changing Catholic Practice
Am I to understand there was essentially no forgiveness for women who had abortions?
In before the bash Francis thread.
Only Jesus can forgive sins (based on His atoning death on the cross).
I hear they're also going to be handing out "Buy One Get One Free" coupons for indulgences!
All this time, I have been asking God for pardon.
That men can now do what was once only the purview of God reflects what a modern new world we live in.
I am Catholic as well and was completely unaware of this also...It seems that priests should have the authority to absolve all sins heard in a confessional... but what do I know
In before the in-beforers.
Are we sure Pope Francis isn’t a Democrat? All our institutions are being taken over and destroyed by the left. His Holiness is a leftist. As a Catholic that pains me, but he’s doing everything he can to change church doctrines. I wonder if he gets DNC talking point memos every morning.
If a priest could offer "absolution" to one who "hated his brother", which could be akin to murder, why not for a woman who has made this decision in her life?
Aside from the real life impact, is there a difference, from God's perspective, in the actual murder or the intent to murder?
Jesus said if you lust after a woman in your heart, you've committed adultery. Does not the same thought process apply in this situation?
This guy is a disaster.
Priests do not “pardon” anyone, they just advise those who seek contrition as to how best to achieve forgiveness all around.
This being said, I am reminded of a story from perhaps 30 years ago in Boston. Some ignorant Catholic girls decided to use abortion as birth control, on the bad logic that abortion was just “a” sin, but that every birth control pill they took was “a” sin as well; so one sin was ‘better’ than many sins.
Just about every serious Catholic was horrified with this idea, but it and a multitude of other very bad ideas were acceptable to the “cultural Catholics” who had no real faith.
Since abortion is the deliberate murder of an innocent life, it is a 'reserved sin', one so grave that the local bishop must absolve it. Usually the bishop grants the regular parish priest the ability to absolve this sin. What the Pope has done is to give that power to regular priests without having to go to the bishop first.
All sins which are confessed and for which there is true contrition and firm purpose of amendment are forgiven by Our Merciful Savior.
There is actually a Catholic organization called Rachel’s Vineyard which offers ministry and reconciliation/healing to women who have had abortions.
If the Pope has to show up at every individual chapter he is going to rack up an awful lot of frequent flyer miles.
Non-Catholics may be confused and maybe so am I but I think that it has been doctrine that some one obtaining an abortion and someone performing it was, if Catholic, automatically excommunicated which means it required the bishop to fix it. Now the parish priest or any priest can give absolution. It is still a mortal (serious) sin and the penance may be substantial but the absolution removes the sin (but not the consequences).
Please see post #15.
There is forgiveness, a woman just needs to find the nearest confessional.
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/cw/post.php?id=66
This isn’t making sense to me. Will check other sources.
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