Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Thomas Rosica, C.S.B.September 01, 2015

Editors Note, Feb. 25, 2019: America has become aware that this article included extensive unattributed material from other sources. Accordingly, we have removed the text. For more material on this topic, read the original report from Catholic News Service, "Pope Francis For Year of Mercy, Pope Francis extends possibilities for absolution.”

A Feb. 22 story in the National Post of Canada documented multiple cases in which Father Rosica used material from other authors without providing proper citations. “What I’ve done is wrong, and I am sorry about that," Father Rosica told the Post.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
Tim O'Leary
9 years 11 months ago
What a truly beautiful description of authentic reconciliation from St. JP II! Thanks for reminding us of his eloquence and sanctity. That Pope Francis would specifically identify this sin as one called out to be in need of the mercy of this year is a great reminder of how grave the sin is. But, I wonder if the Holy Father also intended, by not mentioning it, that this avenue of mercy has not been extended to those who have performed an abortion, or to those who have supported an abortion, either through money, providing logistic assistance or supporting pro-abortion groups with money or votes, etc.
Lisa Weber
8 years 8 months ago
This is a good article. I often wish the church would give more thought to preventing abortions by considering the factors that sway a woman toward the decision to have an abortion. We often act like abortion is an isolated decision by a sinful woman, when it is more often the final act in a long story. We will have difficulty taking more effective action to prevent abortion because we cannot even have a dialogue about the subject. One factor in our lack of dialogue is that women are not allowed to speak in the Church.

The latest from america

At a Mass for the Jubilee of Youth outside Rome, Pope Leo exhorted over a million young people to be "seeds of hope" and a "sign that a different world is possible."
Gerard O’ConnellAugust 03, 2025
Perhaps it is the hard-won wisdom that comes with age, but the Catholic rituals and practices I once scorned are the same rituals and practices that now usher me into God's presence, time and time again.
Maribeth BoeltsAugust 01, 2025
"Only through patient and inclusive dialogue" can "a just and lasting conflict resolution can be achieved" in the long-running conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, said the Holy See's permanent observer to the United Nations.
This is the movie poster for “The Bad Guys” (CNS photo/DreamWorks Pictures)
The ”Bad Guys” films ask, how do we determine who the “bad guys” are? And if you’re marked as “bad” from the start, can you ever make good?
John DoughertyAugust 01, 2025