VATICAN CITY - 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.'
(photo credit: The Jerusalem Post)