Weeks from Pope Francis's arrival in Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families, he finds himself caught in a crossfire.
His announcement that he has granted all priests full faculties to absolve the sin of abortion -- something which is usually reserved to bishops alone -- during the forthcoming Year of Mercy has provoked a flurry of interest among journalists who normally show little interest in Catholic confession practices. Once again Francis has managed to scandalize some by what they consider his lenient notion of mercy and others by clearly affirming traditional Catholic beliefs: namely, in this case, that abortion is so grave a sin that it requires special forgiveness.
Read Full Article »