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Saying that he wants to emphasize mercy, Pope Francis announced that during the church's upcoming holy year, he will allow all priests to forgive women who have had abortions.

, Francis said he understands that some people approach abortions with "superficial awareness." But for others, it's a struggle that deserves deep reflection. The pontiff concludes:


 that in the Catholic church, abortion is a grave sin that calls for excommunication. In the past, it was only senior church officials who could offer forgiveness.
Back in March, Pope Francis announced a jubilee year called the Holy Year of Mercy. 

As the National Catholic Reporter explained

, these special years have been convoked by the church every 25 or 50 years since the year 1300.


Update at 11:17 a.m. ET. Not A Doctrinal Shift: 

, a professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of Notre Dame, says it's important to note that this does not mark a "doctrinal shift" in the Church's teachings on abortion.
"It does serve as a kind of information alert for a group of disenfranchised women who have felt unwelcome by the Church," Moss said. "Even though John Paul II used much the same language and forgiveness has always been available — albeit through more formal channels — that message wasn't out there because the rhetoric that accompanies abortion is so elevated that it eclipses the Church's teaching on forgiveness and mercy."  Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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According to church teaching, abortion is a sin so grave that anyone who gets one or performs one is automatically excommunicated. Forgiveness was usually only given by senior church officials.

During holy year, pope will let priests forgive women who had abortions

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