Hi, Anonymous —

Thank you so much for question.

First and foremost you need to know that God loves you and will forgive you, so before you worry about getting absolution and the excommunication lifted by a bishop, I'd recommend you ask God to forgive you (assuming you haven't done so already).

The next thing to do is go to your local priest. While it does take the authority of a bishop to remove the excommunication, this authority is usually delegated to a local priest upon his request. So go see or make an appointment with a priest and start the process. It usually takes a matter of a few days.

I believe there might be a canon under which a priest may absolve you and remove the excommunication provisionally until such a time that the authority from the bishop has granted the priest authority. You can ask the priest if canon law 1357 can be applied in your case.

Here is the text of the canon, just bring it with you to your appointment with him:

Canon 1357 §1. Without prejudice to the prescripts of Cannon 508 and 976, a confessor can remit in the internal sacramental forum an undeclared latae sententiae censure of excommunication or interdict if it is burdensome for the penitent to remain in the state of grave sin during the time necessary for the competent superior to make provision.

§2. In granting the remission, the confessor is to impose on the penitent, under the penalty of reincidence, the obligation of making recourse within a month to the competent superior or to a priest endowed with the faculty and the obligation of obeying his mandates; in the meantime he is to impose a suitable penance and, insofar as it is demanded, reparation of any scandal and damage; however, recourse can also be made through the confessor, without mention of the name.

Along with a good confession, you should inquire if your archdiocese has post-abortion recovery program, such as "Project Rachel". These programs are very beneficial in helping you cope with long term effects of having had a abortion.

Remember, you are loved by God, as well as us at AskaCatholic.com. If we can be of any further assistance to you, please feel free to write us.

Under His Mercy,

John DiMascio

Dear Friend,

Only Jesus can save your soul. All we do at AskaCatholic.com is try to get you the right information. It is the Holy Spirit that moved you to ask the question, it is the Holy Spirit that moved you to repent.

That said; thank you for the kind words.  We rejoice that a daughter of God has come home to her Heavenly Father's house.

John D.

Hi, Anonymous —

I just wanted to add to John's comments.

The Love of the Lord is everlasting. A previous pastor of mine told us, God loves us;
He is madly in love with us, even when we are sinning, He loves us.

How could this be? Because HE WAS A MAN LIKE US IN ALL THINGS except sin. He understands the forces of temptation and of the devil. Remember, He was tempted in the desert himself!

Prayer is the key, I highly recommend that any woman who has had an abortion learn to pray the Rosary. Go to a local Catholic parish and ask for one.

If they don't have any, e-mail me, and I will send you one for free.

Hope this helps,

Mike

Anonymous —

Ma'am, most bishops have given their priests permission to absolve the sin of abortion in Confession, so you may go to any priest you wish.

I know you are suffering. If the abortion was recent, please take care of yourself physically, and avoid problems with sleep, food, and substance abuse.

Also be aware that the urge to get pregnant again will be very strong around the time of the due date of the child lost to abortion. It would be best if you could contact your local Catholic post-abortion ministry. Project Rachel has contacts and may be able to direct you to other local chapters closer to where you currently live. These link may help:

• Project Rachel Resources
• Hope after Abortion
• Rachel's Vineyard
• Thinking about having an abortion?
  See what both men and women have said AFTERWARD.
  
• Want some help, check out:
  • http://www.pregnancycenters.org and find a center.

It is normal to feel relief immediately, then extreme guilt. Confession will certainly bring you assured forgiveness and much spiritual help, but recovery is often blocked by unresolved issues such as:

• unresolved grief
• denial, and
• post-traumatic issues.

You have suffered a great wound to your soul, mind, body, psyche, and relationships.

God can heal everything. Your child is praying for you.

Mary Ann