Catholic priests now have the power to forgive the sin of abortion, Pope Francis has declared.
Last Sunday, the head of the Catholic Church in the world closed the bronze-panelled Holy Door in Saint Peter's Square, symbolically ending the Jubilee Year of Mercy that spanned from December 8, 2015, to November 20, 2016.
"I can and must state that there is no sin that God's mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart seeking to be reconciled with the Father," Francis said in the letter.
According to Bishop Anthony Muheria, the bishop of Kitui, the Pope's apostolic letter summarised the spiritual mercy experienced by many souls.
In a written commentary of Pope Francis' apostolic, Bishop Muheria, who is also the Chairman of Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops' Commission for Pastoral and Lay Apostolate, explained that during the year of mercy, as a way of reaching out to sinners who have had it difficult to obtain forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Pope Francis gave special permission (called faculties) to all priests to forgive the sin of abortion.
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"It is noteworthy that the faculty or permission has already been conceded to all priests in many parts of the world like USA, Canada and several European countries. This forgiveness was reserved to the Bishop, considering the seriousness of this sin, and that it is also a serious crime of taking the life of an unborn child," wrote Bishop Muheria.
The Rev Father Charles Kinyua, director of Radio Waumini, said the directive has given hope to many Catholics who for ages have been hard-bitten by the sin of abortion.
"I have been in the ministry for 12 years and one of the issues that I have been struggling with is the sin of abortion," said Father Kinyua.
But head of the Catholic Church in Kenya John Cardinal Njue has said the decision to pardon abortion should not be viewed as acceptance of the practice.
Cardinal Njue welcomed the move to allow priests to pardon the sin of abortion, but cautioned it is not a leeway to allow women to continue procuring abortions.
"This pronouncement does not mean that there is an acceptance for abortions to be conducted but as long as there is acceptance of sin, then forgiveness is allowed," said Njue.
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He explained the extension of the privilege to priests means accessibility to the sacrament will be easier and will reach more people.
The Vatican has further stated abortion includes not just the woman who does it but a number of players including the people who help in the process.
Abortion is one of the significant contributors to maternal mortality, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
About 13 per cent of cases of maternal mortality are due to unsafe abortions. WHO vouches for provision of safe abortion by health workers in the first trimester?
Kenya is currently grappling with backstreet abortions, which are burdensome to the health sector.
A report by the African Population and Health Research Council (APHRC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health shows that in 2013, Kenya had 465,000 cases of induced abortions by women of reproductive age. The report dubbed Incidence and Complications of Unsafe Abortions in Kenya: Key Findings of a National Study found that 48 out of 1,000 women carry out abortions.
About two in every five women who seek treatment in Kenyan health facilities for post-abortion care exhibited severe injuries.
