State Welcomes Pope's Abortion Forgiveness

The state's loudest voices on social issues welcomed the pope's announcement that women who have abortions can seek forgiveness and repentance with the church as long as they are "contrite."

"I was thrilled," said Peter Wolfgang, executive director of the Family Institute of Connecticut. "This is what I love about Pope Francis. I think he really cuts through distractions and gets to the heart of the issue, gets to the heart of the gospel which is his mission, and that heart is mercy."

The pope wrote in a letter released Tuesday by the Vatican, "The tragedy of abortion is experienced by some with a superficial awareness, as if not realizing the extreme harm that such an act entails."

The Year of Mercy begins Dec. 8, 2015 and will end Nov. 20, 2016.

Pope John Paul II issued a similar order during the last Year of Mercy.

Wolfgang said the current pope's declaration is another example of his ability to reach new and young audiences.

"Pope Francis has this ability to leap over the wall and really get the message across and I feel like the world itself is maybe listening in a way that maybe it wasn’t before," he said.

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