Photograph — Huffington Post

If you thought Jorge Mario Bergoglio, aka Pope Francis, could do no more to cement his likeability in the hearts of people, particularly women, around the world, you were wrong. The 79-year-old has once again erased (sort of) a fundamental belief and teaching of Catholic catechism by instituting an indefinite absolution of abortion.

In anticipation of the Jubilee of Mercy last September, the Pope had asked priests to forgive abortions, a sin fundamentally established in the Catholic Church as “unpardonable” with a punishment of excommunication. Yes, it’s been that bad; if a woman is found guilty of having committed an abortion, she is banished from the church.

Typically, the “abortion pardon” offered by Pope Francis ought to have ended as the Jubilee Year of Mercy came to a close on Sunday, November 20, 2016, but the Pope extended it indefinitely.

In his Apostolic Letter published by the Vatican on Monday, he wrote, “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, is hereby extended, notwithstanding anything to the contrary.”

For the purpose of clarity, he did state “firmly” that abortion is a grave sin, “since it puts an end to an innocent life.” But opposing the long held belief of it being “unforgivable”, and the long-held tradition of excommunication, the Pope added matter-of-factly that there is no sin that God’s mercy cannot reach and wipe away. Touché!

Catholic conservatives would likely fuss and frown at the Pope’s latest decision, but they should by now be accustomed to his liberalism. Earlier in February, Francis okayed the use of contraceptives for women in South and Central America to curb the spread of the Zika virus. In July 2013, just four months after he was installed the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, he openly acknowledged the rights and privileges of LGBTQ groups and individuals in Brazil. Months later, in December 2013, the Pope called for an evaluation and reformation of the values and customs within the Church.

It’s a win-lose situation for the world’s most beloved leader; while his liberal stance on some of the world’s most sensitive issues has and will continue to earn him widespread popularity and affinity, it has, within the Roman Catholic sphere, earned him the title of “the most damaging pope in Church history.”

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