Pope's abortion statement makes no difference in New Orleans
Pope Francis, shown here in the Philippines in January, said Tuesday (Sept. 1) that all priests may absolve people of the sin of abortion during a special year of mercy. But that makes no difference in New Orleans, where priests have long had that right, Archbishop Gregory Aymond said. (Ryan Lim, Associated Press)
Pope Francis' latest abortion announcement, letting priests forgive what the Roman Catholic Church considers to be a sin, changes nothing in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Archbishop Gregory Aymond said Wednesday (Sept. 2).
Francis said Tuesday that local priests may grant forgiveness for the sin of abortion themselves, instead of taking the matter to a bishop, from Dec. 8 to Nov. 20. Those are the dates of a global jubilee year focusing on mercy.
But "that has been the case here for decades," Aymond said. In fact, there is no sin so great in the New Orleans archdiocese that it can't be absolved through a priest.
The comparative accessibility of forgiveness is not unique to a city that takes Lent seriously. Church law lets bishops reserve the authority to absolve people of certain major sins, including that of participating in an abortion. Internationally, some bishops create "reserved sins," as they are called. However, "there are very, very few dioceses in the U.S." where bishops do so, Aymond said, for abortion or anything else.
Baton Rouge and Lafayette priests, too, may directly forgive abortion, diocese officials said.
Aymond said the extra layer of consideration didn't fit with how the U.S. Catholic Church generally interacts with parishioners. In some other countries, a person must confess a reserved sin to a local priest, who takes the matter to the bishop. The bishop assesses whether the sinner has repented and assigns penance. The priest takes the decision back to the parishioner.
"It's so awkward," Aymond said, and "not pastorally sensitive."
Catholic theology considers abortion a mortal sin, one that sends those who don't repent to hell. People who help women get abortions also are sinning, Aymond said. That's why the archdiocese will boycott companies that help build a new Planned Parenthood clinic on South Claiborne Avenue.
Francis wrote firmly of the evil of abortion in his Tuesday letter, calling it a "tragedy" that entails "extreme harm." But he wrote compassionately of women who have abortions, saying, "I am well aware of the pressure that has led them to this decision. I know that it is an existential and moral ordeal." When they come to confess and repent, priests should respond with "words of genuine welcome." Twenty years ago, Pope John Paul II expressed similar sentiments.
Francis also encouraged prisoners to ask forgiveness during the mercy year, "which is intended to include the many people who, despite deserving punishment, have become conscious of the injustice they worked and sincerely wish to re-enter society and make their honest contribution to it."
Though nothing will change in the confessional, the New Orleans archdiocese is making it easier this month for the faithful to do penance. All Roman Catholic churches will hold evening confession hours Sept. 9. Residents may locate churches through the official "Where Y'at Mass Finder" smartphone application.
Francis said Tuesday that local priests may grant forgiveness for the sin of abortion themselves, instead of taking the matter to a bishop, from Dec. 8 to Nov. 20. Those are the dates of a global jubilee year focusing on mercy.
But "that has been the case here for decades," Aymond said. In fact, there is no sin so great in the New Orleans archdiocese that it can't be absolved through a priest.
The comparative accessibility of forgiveness is not unique to a city that takes Lent seriously. Church law lets bishops reserve the authority to absolve people of certain major sins, including that of participating in an abortion. Internationally, some bishops create "reserved sins," as they are called. However, "there are very, very few dioceses in the U.S." where bishops do so, Aymond said, for abortion or anything else.
Baton Rouge and Lafayette priests, too, may directly forgive abortion, diocese officials said.
Aymond said the extra layer of consideration didn't fit with how the U.S. Catholic Church generally interacts with parishioners. In some other countries, a person must confess a reserved sin to a local priest, who takes the matter to the bishop. The bishop assesses whether the sinner has repented and assigns penance. The priest takes the decision back to the parishioner.
"It's so awkward," Aymond said, and "not pastorally sensitive."
Catholic theology considers abortion a mortal sin, one that sends those who don't repent to hell. People who help women get abortions also are sinning, Aymond said. That's why the archdiocese will boycott companies that help build a new Planned Parenthood clinic on South Claiborne Avenue.
Francis wrote firmly of the evil of abortion in his Tuesday letter, calling it a "tragedy" that entails "extreme harm." But he wrote compassionately of women who have abortions, saying, "I am well aware of the pressure that has led them to this decision. I know that it is an existential and moral ordeal." When they come to confess and repent, priests should respond with "words of genuine welcome." Twenty years ago, Pope John Paul II expressed similar sentiments.
Francis also encouraged prisoners to ask forgiveness during the mercy year, "which is intended to include the many people who, despite deserving punishment, have become conscious of the injustice they worked and sincerely wish to re-enter society and make their honest contribution to it."
Though nothing will change in the confessional, the New Orleans archdiocese is making it easier this month for the faithful to do penance. All Roman Catholic churches will hold evening confession hours Sept. 9. Residents may locate churches through the official "Where Y'at Mass Finder" smartphone application.
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