MANILA, Philippines – To close the Jubilee Year of Mercy in the Catholic Church, Pope Francis released an apostolic letter to chart a way forward for the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.

Francis issued this letter, Misericordia et Misera (Mercy and Misery), on Sunday, November 20. In one of its highlights, the Pope allowed all priests to forgive the sin of abortion. 

Writing from Rome, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said the first copies of this letter “were given to 7 dioceses, organizations, and sectors.”

“He chose the Archdiocese of Manila to receive the first one,” Tagle said. 

“Manila represents evangelization in the big metropolitan centers of the world,” he added.

Tagle said this “came as a surprise,” and he was informed of it “only at the beginning of the Mass” on Sunday.

“When the Holy Father handed the copy to me, he said, ‘Implement this in Manila.’ The gift and mission have been given, let us now fulfill it,” the cardinal said.

He said: “To the merciful God be all praise and thanksgiving. Miserable sinners that we are, we have received mercy in this singular mission. May Mary, the Mother of mercy, protect us!”

‘Intense Jubilee Year’

Misericordia et Misera aims “to look to the future and to understand how best to continue, with joy, fidelity, and enthusiasm, experiencing the richness of God’s mercy.”

The Pope issued this in the context of “an intense Jubilee Year in which we have received the grace of mercy in abundance.”

The Jubilee Year of Mercy ran from December 8, 2015, until November 20 this year. 

During this Jubilee Year, the Catholic Church encouraged more acts of mercy.

It also opened more opportunities for Catholics to seek forgiveness for their sins. One of these was by designating special churches for pilgrimage. These special churches, like the Manila Cathedral, had Holy Doors that symbolized the mercy of God.

The Pope on Sunday closed the Holy Door at St Peter’s Basilica to end the Jubilee Year. 

“Even if the Holy Door closes, the true door of mercy, which is the heart of Christ, always remains open wide for us,” Francis said. – With reports from Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com