Wow…I am almost speechless and people who know me would not believe that! While I am all for confession, a sacramental I frequent often, and love the church deeply, I pray that this article is really miss communicating what the Vatican has said.

“The driving force behind the deal is the archbishop of Madrid, Antonio María Rouco Varela, who persuaded the Vatican to offer women who had had abortions access to "the fruits of divine grace that will open the doors to a new life".

Can it be that there is still such a lack of understanding of post abortion after all this time? Offer women? While it is wonderful to invite those who are post abortive back into the church offering God’s mercy, wording like this is one of the reasons so many have a problem with the church. What about all the men, parents, doctors etc etc who have participated in abortion in some way? What about the husband who threatened to leave his wife, or the parents who said they would kick out their pregnant kid, what about the boyfriends or even employers who put pressure on the women? Now, I know ultimately, women are the ones who walk into a clinic, and I truly do pray those who have had abortions and are at WYD do avail themselves of this wonderful invitation, but again, a statement like this, which I pray was twisted by the media, shows a great lack of understanding of dynamics of abortion.

I just find it sad….the scarlett letter, the evil women..then I think of the woman caught in adultery and Jesus and I am comforted…do we need sorrow and to confess ? of course, but it is not only our sin…

I am going to go search for an article that may state this differently…

Vatican says World Youth Day is chance to confess abortion and rejoin church

Pope dangles 'fruits of divine grace' to excommunicated Catholics who admit, during Madrid event, to terminations

• Tom Kington, in Rome and Stephen Burgen, in Barcelona
• guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 16 August 2011 18.32 BST
• Article history


Priests listen to confessions at temporary confessionals set up at Madrid's Buen Retiro park. Photograph: Pedro Armestre/AFP/Getty Images

Hundreds of thousands of young people descending on Madrid this week for the Catholic church's World Youth Day – which features processions, group prayers and a mass with Pope Benedict XVI – are to get a "special" concession.

Church leaders have ordered that anyone confessing, during this event, to having had an abortion – a sin punishable by excommunication – will be welcomed back into the church.

"Normally, only certain priests have the power to lift such an excommunication, but the local diocese has decided to give all the priests taking confession at the event this power," said the pope's spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi.

Two hundred white wooden confession booths have been set up in Madrid's Buen Retiro park for the event, which started on Tuesday and runs until Sunday.

the rest is here:http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/16/vatican-world-youth-women-abortions