Pope Francis is allowing all priests to absolve the "grave sin" of abortion, extending special permission he had granted them in 2015 for the just-ended Holy Year of Mercy.

Francis wrote in Misericordia et misera, an apostolic letter concluding the Year of Mercy, that "there is no sin that God's mercy cannot reach," while staunchly reiterating that "abortion is a grave sin."

In his letter, Pope Francis formally gave all priests permanent permission to grant absolution to those who confess to having procured an abortion. While many bishops around the world, and almost all bishops in the United States, routinely grant that faculty to all their priests, Pope Francis had made it universal during the Holy Year.