Aug. 26: Pope Francis waves as arrives for his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. (AP)

VATICAN –  During the Jubilee, all priests will be able to absolve faithful of the sin of abortion during confession, Pope Francis said Tuesday.

Pope Francis has written a letter to Archbishop Rino Fisichela, president of the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelisation and head of Jubilee initiatives, containing three significant new points that are being introduced on the occasion of the Extraordinary Holy Year of mercy, Vatican Insider reports Tuesday.

The new points mentioned in the letter dated Sept. 1 are:

• All priests throughout the world, not just “missionaries of mercy,” will be able to absolve faithful of the sin of abortion during the Jubilee.
• The Jubilee Indulgence will be granted not only in Rome’s basilicas and or in sanctuaries and the cathedrals of the various dioceses, but also in all prison chapels around the world.
• In order to encourage steps towards full communion with the Fraternity of St. Pius X founded by traditionalist archbishop Marcel lefebvre, Francis has written that sacramental absolutions administered by priests will be fully valid even if the individual who grants them does not ordinarily have the power and authority to do so, Vatican Insider reports.

The Jubilee year will run from Dec. 8, 2015, to Nov. 20, 2016.