The meaning of Christian forgiveness

It's a lot deeper than saying sorry

Pope Francis
(Image credit: REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi)

Christianity is big on forgiveness — at least in theory. The faithful are viewed as judgmental, but their leader, one fella named Jesus, said, "I came not to judge the world but to save it."

I mention this because Pope Francis has declared a "Jubilee Year of Mercy" for the Catholic Church, an occasion for all Catholics to meditate on mercy and, more importantly, to practice it. As part of this, the pope gave a special dispensation for all priests to be able to forgive women who have had abortions.

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Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry

Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry is a writer and fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His writing has appeared at Forbes, The Atlantic, First Things, Commentary Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Federalist, Quartz, and other places. He lives in Paris with his beloved wife and daughter.