Why the Pope’s Patronizing Stance on Abortion Could Still Be a Good Thing

I had my first confession when I was eight years old.

In the wacky world of Catholicism, Grade 2 is the magical period when we all turn into full-blown sinners and need to apologize for the terrible shit we've done to secure a place in heaven.

The thought of reciting all my misdeeds to a priest made me anxious. Not, as you might mistakenly guess, because it's really fucking weird for a small child to have to tell a stranger all the things they feel bad about. No. I was just worried I would be scolded if my sins didn't measure up, or if there weren't enough of them. So I would sit down and compile a lengthy list of ways I had broken the 10 Commandments. One time in the confessional box, just as I was reading aloud "didn't share my cookies at recess"—the halfway mark on my list—the priest interrupted me with a brusque "It's fine. Do ten Our Fathers and ten Hail Marys." I felt a rush knowing that my soul would be restored to its original state of purity.

In my teenage years, I stopped caring. I attended an all-girls Catholic school so rigid that one couldn't help but rebel. And I found myself resentful of a religion that relied heavily on a culture of guilt. In my opinion, some of the Catholic church's greatest taboos—divorce, being gay, having an abortion—are none of its goddamned business.

But on those three fronts, the newest pope, Francis, has played the role of shit disturber with his relatively liberal views. He most recently caused a stir on Tuesday, when he announced that in the upcoming "Year of Mercy" all priests are free to absolve the "sin of abortion."

Women who want to be forgiven for having an abortion—a sin considered worthy of excommunication—would normally have to meet with a bishop and undergo a fairly rigorous process. Basically, the pope is saying any Joe Blow in a Roman collar can now do the job.

"The forgiveness of God cannot be denied to one who has repented, especially when that person approaches the Sacrament of Confession with a sincere heart," Pope Francis wrote in a letter to the Vatican, adding he's spoken to many women who "bear in their heart the scar of this agonizing and painful decision."

If, like me, you find it patronizing and backward that a woman would have to seek out some old dude (and yes, priests are still all dudes) to be absolved for a decision she made about her body—one that requires no atonement—you might feel righteous indignation.

"I'm sorry, why should we be happy about #PopeFrancis 'forgiving' us for an abortion? Because no. We don't need forgiveness," tweeted Kathleen Pye, a self-described feminist activist who works for LGBT organization Egale Canada.

But the reality is less black and white than that.

Abortion is still illegal in many parts of the world, resulting in an estimated 21 million women seeking out clandestine procedures every year. Only one in six hospitals in Canada performs abortions. So Pope Francis's declaration, while incredibly paternalistic, addresses a stigma that is still very much prevalent today.

"That stigma results in tremendous barriers to access to abortion services in Canada and globally," Sandeep Prasad, executive director of Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, told VICE.

"The pope has taken a step in the right direction but there are many more steps to be taken to ensure that unsafe abortion is a thing of the distant past."

Change happens slowly.

Women who still crave that sense of relief I felt as a child going to confession shouldn't be denied it. Nor should they be judged for seeking it out, or for anything else.

Follow Manisha Krishnan on Twitter.