Pope to allow all priests to forgive abortion during Holy Year

Reuters via Yahoo News ^ | 1 Sept, 2015 | Isla Binnie

[Graybeard58]

Pope Francis will give all priests discretion during the Roman Catholic Church's upcoming Holy Year to formally forgive women who have had abortions, in the Argentine pontiff's latest move towards a more open and inclusive church.

In Church teaching, abortion is such a grave sin that those who procure or perform it incur an automatic excommunication. Usually only designated clergy and missionaries can formally forgive abortions.

But from Dec.8 to Nov. 26, during an extraordinary Holy Year or "Jubilee" on the theme of mercy announced by Pope Francis in March, all priests will be able to do so, he said in a letter published on Tuesday by the Vatican.

[Original Lurker]

Phhhhht.
I’ve been to Catholic Europe. The idolatry is breath taking.

Phhhhht.

[Campion]

You say:

If you believe you must add anything to what Christ did

Paul says:

Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. -- Colossians 1:24

[Campion]

"Catholic Europe"? Where's that?

Is the idolatry in "Catholic Europe" as appalling to you as the atheism rampant in "Protestant Europe"? Atheism is much, much worse than idolatry, you know. Idolatry is worshipping the wrong god. Atheism always ends up worshipping the god you see in the mirror.

[Claud]

So, can a believer bypass a priest and petition forgiveness directly from Christ...

Of course! We do at every single Mass: "Lord have mercy! Christ have mercy! Lord have mercy!" But how do we know the forgiveness has been granted?

Can a Priest withold forgiveness... if so, is he not deciding in the place of Christ... I would think so

Well, what does it say in John 20? "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven. Whose sins you retain are retained." And in Matt 18: "what you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and what you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

[fatima]

I think it is very confusing for the average Catholic.I know the answer but most girls who have abortions don’t.

[Claud]

I suppose, because I can never repay my parents for having birthed me and raised me, that every little nice thing I do for them is useless eh? I shouldn’t even try, because that would be me “adding” to what they did, right? Because that would be trying to be “worthy” of them, right?

Imagine Christ as the love of your life, rather than the financier who settled your debt, and see how your logic holds up.

[MHGinTN]

Two little pints:

1) the Church Paul is referring to is not the roman catholic church;

2) Paul is speaking of the suffering in the body, the physical life being lived, not of souls in some mythical RCC invention called purgatory.

[MHGinTN]

You asked, perhaps innocent of the Truth the Word of God devlares, "But how do we know the forgiveness has been granted?" For those IN CHRIST we have God's Promise that He forgives when we approach Him for forgiveness. To those not born from above, 'ya pays yer coin and ya takes yer chances.' [1 John 1:7-9 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.] And that is confess our sins to HIM, for it is HE who forgives sin. Your priest has not been raised to God level righteousness in order to have that power. Sorry

[MHGinTN]

Your reasoning is so flawed, it is apparent that catholiciism has twisted your mind.

You smartaleck, Jesus is MY LORD. This is not a financier relationship being born from above. Your vapid assertion is sort of like Nicodemus trying to weasel out of seeing the Truth Jesus was speaking to him.

[catfish1957]

From the same organization that told our ancestors 900 years ago that joining the Crusades would be an automatic ticket to heaven. Golly Gee, you just never know where these get out jail free cards will land.

[fatima]

Also a girl goes to confession and is denied because it’s not the Pastor but Joe Biden receives Communion every week.Makes no sense.

[fatima]

So why the Pope’s statement.?

[fatima]

Tioga is not a poor little thing.

[Claud]

And that is confess our sins to HIM, for it is HE who forgives sin. Your priest has not been raised to God level righteousness in order to have that power.

How about the Apostles? Christ gave them that very power to forgive sins in John 20.

[MHGinTN]

Sorry Charlie Tuna, your priest has not been raised to that level either. Amybe you should take another study on that eating Jesus, body, blood, soul, and DIVINITY thing you believe you’re doing at Mass ...

[PigRigger]

Thank you for your explanation(s)... not Catholic... so your responses(s) have been clear and concise...

Just a few questions... Must you go to a priest to ask for forgiveness and can he withhold it? If he can withhold it, does that not make him equal to God in discerning a man's heart when the Bible states that only He has such power?

As for excommunication, protestant churches have forms of such as well... members can be asked to leave until thay repent and demonstrate a life worthy of memborship.

[PigRigger]

How do you know you are forgiven...?

Through faith in His promises... they are steadfast and unbreakable.

My problem with reconciling this act of confession... is that forgiveness can be withheld... this equates man to God in divining one's heart... which only God can do... The definition of that phrase and its' meaning is debatable... so I do not see it as instruction that one can withhold forgiveness...

I see no reason to confess are sins to each other, we have been asked to do such... but I don't agree that who we confess to can determine whether you are forgiven or not.... That is God's rightful place... not man's...

[PigRigger]

What I meant...

"I see no negative reason as to not confess our sins to each other, we have been asked to do such... but I don't agree that who we confess to must be a priest and that they can determine whether we are forgiven or not.... That is God's rightful place... not man's..."

In the end it is our realtionship with Christ, accepting His sacrifice as our ultimate substitute, being justified by His blood and our testimony of faith, is the only way to His kingdom.

There is nothing man can do of his own merit to be made worthy... When we think we can, we just put an idol above our God...

Blessed be those that find peace, love, hope and salvation through Christ....

[Claud]

Let’s recap. You objected that a man cannot effect the forgiveness of sins because he has not been raised to the level of God.

I gave you a clear Scriptural reference in John 20 where Christ explicitly extended his divine authority to forgive sins to the Apostles.

Whether anyone else inherited this ability from the Apostles is a separate issue. But the existence of 12 men who had that ability effectively disproves your point.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

Just a few questions... Must you go to a priest to ask for forgiveness and can he withhold it? If he can withhold it, does that not make him equal to God in discerning a man's heart when the Bible states that only He has such power?

John 20:23

"If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

Jesus gave this power to the Apostles, who were the first bishops. The office of bishop has been passed down since Matthias was chosen to fill the "office" of Judas.

If the priest judges he is truly sorry, He must absolve since Christ's Passion merited forgiveness for every repentant sinner. Only if the person shows no willingness to give up sin does the priest retain, that is withhold absolution, as we "do not give what is holy to dogs" (Mt 7:6).