12. Given this need, lest any obstacle arise between the request for
reconciliation and God’s forgiveness, I henceforth grant to all priests,
in virtue of their ministry, the faculty to absolve those who have
committed the sin of procured abortion. The provision I had made in this
regard, limited to the duration of the Extraordinary Holy Year,[14]
is hereby extended, notwithstanding anything to the contrary. 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.
For the Jubilee Year I had also granted that those faithful who, for
various reasons, attend churches officiated by the priests of the
Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, can validly and licitly receive the
sacramental absolution of their sins.[15]
For the pastoral benefit of these faithful, and trusting in the good
will of their priests to strive with God’s help for the recovery of full
communion in the Catholic Church, I have personally decided to extend
this faculty beyond the Jubilee Year, until further provisions are made,
lest anyone ever be deprived of the sacramental sign of reconciliation
through the Church’s pardon.
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