5 Pinoy priests get power to absolve sins like Pope

MANILA, Philippines — Pope Francis has named five more Filipino Catholic priests as “missionaries of mercy.” The newly appointed missionaries of mercy are Fr. Prospero Tenorio and Fr. Nap Baltazar, both from the Malolos diocese; and Fathers Jhoen Buenaventura, Joseph Quicho and Jesus Navoa, of the Balanga Bataan diocese.

The special mandate calls the priests to be preachers of mercy over the whole Church and can absolve sins that are normally reserve to the Holy Father, according to Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines public affairs committee.

He added that these sins include abortion, heresy, apostasy, schism, desecration of sacred species, among others.

—Tina G. Santos