Pope extends power to forgive abortion to all priests

Pope Francis on Monday allowed all Roman Catholic priests the power to forgive abortion, a power previously reserved for bishops or special confessors.

Francis, who has made a more inclusive and forgiving church a characteristic of his papacy, made the announcement in a document known as an "apostolic letter" after Sunday's close of the Catholic Church's "Holy Year of Mercy".

He said he wanted to "restate as firmly as I can that abortion is a grave sin, since it puts an end to an innocent life."

[Reuters]