w  rd 2 the woss

In a surprising turn of events, Pope Francis the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, has extended forgiveness to women who have had an abortion. On Monday November 21, 2016, Pope Francis released this statement through an apostolic letter, a form of communication between the Pope and the Church. However, forgiveness does not mean tolerance.

 

This statement simply encourages priests to forgive women who have committed this “grave  sin”. Abortion however, is still viewed as a terrible act against God, nonetheless.

 

In the letter, Pope Francis states, "I wish to restate as firmly as I can that abortion is a grave sin, since it puts an end to an innocent life. In the same way, however, I can and must state that there is no sin that God's mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart seeking to be reconciled with the Father. May every priest, therefore, be a guide, support and comfort to penitents on this journey of special reconciliation.”

 

The tension in the debate between pro-life and pro-choice has never been an easy one. Believers in pro-life view abortion as a sin because they believe in life at conception. This is a belief held by many religions. Pro-choice on the other hand, does not necessarily mean they support abortion, but instead supports the choices that women make with their bodies.

 

The Pope’s declaration is surprising and forgiveness is kind of him in the Catholic religion, however the Church is, and most likely always will be pro-life. On the other hand, this forgiveness may serve to increase the Church’s congregation. Especially to attract younger members, because most post-millennials seem to be pro-choice.