VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis is applying his vision of a merciful church to women who have had abortions, easing their path toward forgiveness and saying he realizes some felt they had no choice but to make “this agonizing and painful decision.”

In a letter published Tuesday by the Holy See, Francis said he was allowing all rank-and-file priests to grant absolution during the Holy Year of Mercy he has proclaimed, which runs Dec. 8, 2015 until Nov. 20, 2016.

The Roman Catholic Church views abortion as such a grave sin that it put the matter of granting forgiveness for an abortion in the hands of a bishop, who could either hear the woman’s confession himself or delegate that to a priest who is expert in such situations.

Now, Francis is making it possible for women to bypass this formalized process in the approaching special Year of Mercy while putting the stress on “contrite” hearts.

In a statement after the pope’s letter, the Vatican made clear that “forgiveness of the sin of abortion does not condone abortion nor minimize its grave effects. The newness is clearly Pope Francis’ pastoral approach.”

In the United States, many bishops already allow priests to absolve women who have had abortions, while in other dioceses, bishops have reserved the decision for themselves, said the Rev. James Martin, editor-at-large of the Jesuit magazine America.

The pope’s directive on Tuesday “reminds priests of the need for mercy, and it also takes a very pastoral tone toward women who have had an abortion,” Martin said.

New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who will be hosting Francis in the city later this month during the papal U.S. pilgrimage, noted that priests in his diocese have had the authority to forgive the sin of abortion for about three decades.

“I hope that this announcement by the Holy Father will encourage many people to come forward to find the true peace and healing through this beautiful and tender Sacrament of Reconciliation,” Dolan wrote on his blog.

Francis made clear he isn’t downplaying the gravity of abortion, which the church essentially views as equivalent to murder. But he emphasized that abortion is an intensely personal, often anguished choice for women.