Pope Francis will this week launch an "extraordinary" Roman Catholic Jubilee on the theme of mercy during which priests will be allowed to absolve women who have had abortions, AFP report.
In the latest incarnation of a 700-year-old Catholic tradition, Tuesday will mark the beginning of a holy period of just under a year in which believers are encouraged to renew their relationship with God and seek forgiveness for their sins.
Francis set a new tone for this Jubilee with his surprise announcement in September that he would be granting every priest the discretion to absolve women for having had abortions.
Catholic Church dogma considers terminating a pregnancy a heinous sin, and it is normally punishable by excommunication.
Pro-choice groups are skeptical about whether many women -- or doctors who carry out abortions for that matter -- will avail themselves of the Pope's offer to confess.
Instead, many Vatican watchers saw the move as another example of Francis signaling his desire to change the Church's approach from condemnation of wrongdoing to an understanding of the difficulties faced by 21st-century believers.