The Vatican is now taking applications from priests who want to be ‘missionaries of mercy’ for the upcoming jubilee Year of Mercy.
In Misericordiae Vultus, promulgated in April, Pope Francis stated that the missionaries of mercy would be granted “the authority to pardon even those sins reserved to the Holy See”.
These sins include desecration of the Eucharist and direct abortion.
The application form calls for “welcoming, loving, and compassionate confessors”.
Applicants are asked to submit a letter of endorsement from their diocesan bishops or religious superiors.
The first missionaries of mercy will be commissioned on Ash Wednesday of 2016 and sent out on their assignments.