VATICAN CORNER
contuined … In another first, Pope Francis has directly appointed some 800 special missionaries from around the world and given them the power to forgive certain very grave sins normally reserved only for the Va”can to forgive. It was the responsibility of the Council for the Promo”on of the New Evangeliza”on to select the 800 Missionaries of Mercy. Many of those selected have applied to the Council, along with a le#er of recommenda”on from their bishop showing how they “epitomize and embody” a missionary of mercy. Some priests selected did not apply, but were recommended to the Council. They have been chosen for their ability to preach well, understand human frailty and ensure that the confessional is not an experience “like a torture chamber” as Pope Francis put it. Those very grave sins normally reserved for the Va”can to forgive are:
- Desecra”on of the Holy Eucharist.
- Absolu”on of accomplice in a sin against the sixth commandment (a priest absolving an accomplice in adultery).
- Ordina”on of a bishop without the pope’s approval.
- Viola”on of the sacrament of confession (a priest divulging what he has been told in confession).
- Physical violence against the pope. The 800 Missionaries of Mercy will be sent out on Ash Wednesday, 2016 and will serve as a visible sign of the importance of the sacrament of reconcilia”on in our lives of faith.
Regarding the grave sin of abor”on, in a le#er release by Pope Francis on September 1, 2015, he called on all priests during the upcoming Jubilee Year of Mercy to absolve those who have procured abor”ons if they seek forgiveness with a contrite heart, without special permission from a bishop. A later clarifica”on was issued sta”ng that “Forgiveness of the sin of abor”on does not condone abor”on nor minimize its grave effects.” There are two things that need to be dis”nguished. Absolu”on from sin and remission of a censure. In order to underline the seriousness of certain sins, Church Law can a#ach a canonical penalty to them. These are called censures. This means that if someone consciously and deliberately commits this par”cular sin, he or she not only offends God, and wounds the life of the Church, but also incurs what is called an ecclesias”cal censure. The remission of a censure due to abor”on is reserved either to the local bishop, his appointed delegate, known as the Canon Peniten”ary, or to the Pope. So, a penitent who is seeking reconcilia”on with God and the Church a&er an abor”on requires both absolu”on from the sin and remission of the censure. Because of this, the ma#er o&en has to be referred to the bishop or his delegate, even a&er absolu”on had been granted by the priest. What the Pope is allowing during the Year of Mercy, is that any priest can grant to a penitent who is truly contrite and seeks forgiveness both absolu”on from the sin of abor”on and the remission of the censure, if it was incurred. The priest can act on behalf of the bishop. Many bishops have already granted this power to the priests of their dioceses. The Pope is gran”ng it to all priest, as a sign for the Year of Mercy of the “true and generous forgiveness of the Father who renews all with his presence.” to be con”nued …
Sources: telegraph.co.uk, ncregister.com, thesacredpage.com, Catholicnewsagency.com