By Christina Hermoso
Borongan (Samar) Bishop Crispin Varquez has granted all active priests in the Diocese of Borongan the “Faculty to Absolve the Grave Sin of Abortion.”
Bishop Crispin Varquez (CBCPNEWS/ MANILA BULLETIN)
The bishop granted the authority to all active priests in his diocese to absolve the mortal sin on March 21 and will last until Easter Sunday, April 21.
Diocese of Borongan chancellor Rev. Fr. Neil Tenefrancia in a bulletin said, the “Faculty to Absolve the Grave Sin of Abortion” excludes newly ordained priests in the diocese.
The Diocese of Borongan has 72 active priests, 32 parishes, and a Catholic population of more than 500,000.
According to the University of the Philippines Population Institute, there are about 560,000 abortion cases in the country that was recorded in 2010 among women from ages 15 to 44 years old.