He is acknowledging that you have to forgive, even to gain forgiveness.
"To be frank, I would consider it dishonest to claim regret simply to gain forgiveness by critics," he said.
Because of an extramarital affair with his wife's sister, a postulant nun, by whom he had a child, Valdemar in 1274 made a pilgrimage to Rome to gain forgiveness.
While women have not been "queuing up around the corner of their church" over the last year in a desperate attempt to gain forgiveness, O'Brien said, Francis's move was significant because it also appeared to represent an appeal to his fellow bishops and priests to look at the issue of abortion with less condemnation, and focus more on "reconciliation".
My husband and I were sitting together, in the dark, outside on our front steps and in that moment of trying to gain forgiveness from each other for the things we had just allowed to come from our mouths, I realized that I hadn't been giving my husband 100% of who he deserves as a wife.
This is the best way to gain forgiveness.
"I don't know" is generally not useful in gaining your forgiveness.
He also lays out reasons why the United States and Saudi Arabia at the time supported and financed the jihadis: American politicians, wanting to bleed the Soviets and even the score for Vietnam; the Saudi ruling family, wanting to ratify its fundamentalist bona fides, gain forgiveness for its own profligacy, and rid the kingdom of young troublemakers.
But some Knicks fans still feel Thomas should spend the rest of his life trying to gain their forgiveness.
Once we avoid the intended action or apologize to the harmed person and gain their forgiveness, the relationship recovers and our guilt dissolves.
