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The most recent Pope Francis news comes from a letter signed last Monday at the closing of the Church's "Jubilee Year of Mercy." The letter grants regular priests to hear and absolve abortion in the Sacrament of Confession, a move that critics of the pope may see as misguided as the pontiff's direction with divorce.

By tradition, only a bishop or a special confessor with permission can absolve abortion. However, Pope Francis is reaching out to more Catholics, stressing the importance of confession, which the pontiff wishes to "regain its central place in the Christian life" as reported by ABC News.

Pope Francis reiterates that "abortion is a grave sin" ending an innocent life, but he adds, "there is no sin that God's mercy cannot reach." The apostolic letter is just one of many gestures that establish the papacy of forgiveness, a trademark leadership of the present pontiff.

Jon O'Brien, president of the US-based Catholics for Choice, praised Pope Francis' move, which he says acknowledges and understands women who may have been compelled to seek abortion due to social and economic factors. The pope himself has revealed that he knows of various women who still suffer from the spiritual pain of abortion.

A vital piece of Pope Francis news was also explicitly written in the letter, permitting priests from the ultra-traditionalists Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) to administer "sacramental absolution" to those who confess sins of abortion. The pope has never been a fan of liturgical traditionalism, but this gesture is a peace token to the group.

SSPX was founded by the late archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who was automatically excommunicated when he ordained four bishops in 1989 without Vatican consent. Pope Francis' predecessor, Benedict XVI, lifted the excommunication and even allowed pre-Vatican II Latin masses.

However, the pope may still face one of his harshest critics, a group of four hardline cardinals led by American Raymond Burke. Burke has made his views known by writing a letter to the pope asking him his stand on the issue of divorce.

Burke's letter was prompted by the pontiff's instructions to priests, telling them to exercise discretion in allowing divorced or remarried persons receive Holy Communion. Pope Francis did not respond to the letter but spoke about the ill intention of some people who are sowing divisiveness in the Church.

Burke publicly posted a copy of the letter, expressing his desire to correct "a serious error" as reported in The Guardian. However, the American cardinal and his colleagues have yet to make their opinions known on the latest Pope Francis news regarding the practice of mercy when it comes to people who have committed abortion.