From the Pastor's Desk: Archives

November 8, 2015

The Year of Mercy

In April of this year, on Divine Mercy Sunday, Pope Francis announced a "Jubilee Year of Mercy", beginning on December 8 (the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception) and concluding on November 20 of 2016 (the Solemnity of Christ the King). In the document in which the Jubilee Year was proclaimed, the Holy Father states, "Jesus Christ is the face of the Father's mercy. These words might well sum up the mystery of the Christian faith." He wishes all of us to experience God's mercy, so that we can be instruments of this mercy to others, particularly by performing the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.

As part of his plan for the Year of Mercy, in Lent of 2016 the Pope intends to send out "Missionaries of Mercy". These are priests who will be specially commissioned to preach on God's mercy and to absolve even those sins reserved to the Holy See, that is, those actions which Church law considers so grave that only the Pope can release the offender from the penalties for committing them. Such actions include desecration of the Blessed Sacrament or a priest violating the seal of the Confessional.

Pope Francis took a further step, to the confusion of many. In a letter concerning the Indulgence for the Jubiee Year, he mentioned he would "concede to all priests for the Jubilee Year the discretion to absolve of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it."

Many, especially in the mainstream media, reacted to this as if no priest had ever been allowed to do so before. This is not the case. It is helpful to understand that priests only hear confessions and give absolution because of the specific permission, or "faculties", that they are given by their bishop. A bishop may withdraw these faculties or place limits on them at his discretion in accordance with Church law. He also has authority in some cases to extend these faculties. In fact, in many places bishops have done so in the case of abortion, so that even though the Church considers it a grave crime, anyone who seeks God's forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation can receive it. This has been the case in the United States for many years, including in our own diocese.

What Pope Francis has done, then, is to ensure, with the authority of his office, that every priest throughout the world knows that he is able to absolve from this sin during the Year of Mercy. It is also a means of reaching out to those who think that what they have done can not be forgiven -- but the Holy Father wishes to remind us that nothing is beyond the reach of God's grace.

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