So....my church doesn’t believe in forgiveness or redemption. Nice.
I have to agree that this is odd. If someone has engaged in/supported an abortion, why wouldn’t repentance be enough?
Ordination to the priesthood or diaconate is a privilege, not a right. Ever. (This makes it different from, e.g., marriage.)
Someone who is seeking Holy Orders needs to be leading an exemplary Christian life. (That should be obvious, but if it isn't, I have to ask: didn't the molestation scandals teach us anything?) Someone who was directly involved in an abortion clearly wasn't leading an exemplary Christian life at that time. "Irregular for ordination" just means that those circumstances need to be investigated and considered. It's not an unconditional or permanent prohibition. If there is clearly no issue, the ordination may be permitted.
The same situation applies if a man leaves the church, becomes a Protestant minister, and then returns to the Catholic Church and seeks ordination to the priesthood. He's "irregular for ordination," meaning that that particular situation bears special consideration and investigation.
Acts 8:1-3 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
I'm with you. If Paul/Saul's persecutions of the early church were not enough to disqualify him, then neither is abortion. Sincere repentance is required, of course, but I read "your sins are forgiven" as meaning what it says.
Note: This does not in any way minimize the murder of innocent children or the insincerity of some who seek the priesthood for personal advantage rather than waiting for a true calling to do God's work. I'm simply saying that even abortion should not be an absolute disqualification.
Then I don’t know what church you belong to.
The Catholic Church has for a very long time seen murder as an impediment to Holy Orders. This is nothing new, and has NOTHING to do with forgiveness or redemption. It is merely good policy that a man associated with this heinous crime represents too much of a scandal to be worth risking the faithful.