On Fox News, Jeb Bush was asked about Pope Francis granting to all priests worldwide the power to absolve the sin of abortion for this year of Divine Mercy. (The interviewer got the question wrong and claimed the Pope said he would personally absolve all sins of abortion this year, but never mind).
Bush gave a spectacularly graceful answer as a Catholic. He’s not my guy for president, but I admire him for this:
Martha MacCallum: So this morning the Pope announced that he will absolve women who have had abortions. You are one of several Catholics who are running in this race. Are you surprised by that move?
Jeb Bush: Look, I think we could all use a lot of mercy in this world, and the Pope is a loving person and having absolution — allowing priests to give absolution is extraordinary, but it’s not — I’m not surprised at all. I hope that we also focus on mercy for the unborn — the hundreds of thousands of babies that will die. I think we need to have a society that protects life from beginning to end, and we should be a repentant society, for sure, and mercy should be at the heart of everything.
Maggie Gallagher is a senior fellow at American Principles in Action.
