It is to be remembered that forgiveness lies at the core of one of the most successful con jobs of all time - Christianity. Forgiveness of sins was, as the late A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was wont to remark, merely an excuse for Christians to carry on sinning, knowing that mumbling words of repentance would make you good again.

Unless it's personal -forgiving someone you know for something they did to you -then it is only ever a word anyway. Forgiveness of anyone else is surely purely performative? As such, it is meaningless.