Pope Francis has instructed priests to offer absolution to women who have obtained an abortion during the upcoming Jubilee year.

During the “Year of Mercy”, Francis has issued these instructions to priests:  “I have decided, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, to concede to all priests for the Jubilee Year the discretion to absolve of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness.”

The Pope said while he knows some women seek abortion for selfish reasons, there are many women around the world who are forced into that situation and “bear in their heart the scar of this agonizing and painful decision”.

The Pope was clear that the change is only for the Jubilee Year that begins in December 8, 2015 and runs through November 20, 2016.

Under Catholic doctrine, a woman who has an abortion commits a grave sin that can have them thrown out of the church.

The Pope has previously issued strong denunciations of abortion.

“It is horrific even to think that there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day,” he said in 2014.  “Unfortunately, what is thrown away is not only food and dispensable objects, but often human beings themselves, who are discarded as unnecessary.”

The Pope also called for the release of prisoners around the world who have truly repented of their crimes.

“The Jubilee Year has always constituted an opportunity for great amnesty, which is intended to include the many people who, despite deserving punishment, have become conscious of the injustice they worked,” he said.