Catholic priests can “forgive” abortion again. Not everyone may be impressed, but within the world of the Catholic faith, many may call this a progressive move, considering that Pope Francis has always maintained that abortion is a “grave sin”.

Although the doctrine on the seriousness of the “sin” has not changed, the Pope has chosen to focus on the path of forgiveness. He had granted the power to all priests to “forgive” abortion temporarily, during the Holy Year, lasting from December 8, 2015 to November 20, 2016.

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The Holy Year, which comes once every 25 years, is one of the important periods for the Catholic Church, during which pilgrimages are undertaken to Rome and other religious sites. However, the Argentinian Pope’s solemn tone in Monday’s letter suggested that the change would last for at least the rest of his papacy.

This change is not new to countries like the United States and Britain, where bishops have already given the authority to parish priests. Interestingly, abortion has also been a debated topic ever since US president-elect Donald Trump expressed his opposition to it, echoing the conservative stand taken by the Republicans.

As for South Asian countries where Catholics are a minority, abortion policies are relatively conservative. In India, abortion is permitted on socio-economic grounds such as in cases of rape, foetal impairment and in some cases under parental authorisation.