The move by Lafayette diocese in Louisiana is for the upcoming Year of Mercy.

The ambulance was donated to the diocese.

Bishop Michael Jarrell said he hopes this will be a way for more Catholics to be able to confess their sins.

"I think many people miss opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation because of busy schedules so here we're trying to remove that obstacle," the bishop said.

The mobile confessional will be rolled out on December 8, coinciding with the start of the Year of Mercy.

Inside the converted ambulance, priests will have a supply of holy cards, rosaries, and even holy water.

Bishop Jarrell said the initiative is aimed at fulfilling a call from Pope Francis.

"The Holy Father asked us to concentrate on the sacrament of reconciliation and that's the purpose of this spiritual care unit to bring people into deeper communion with Christ," the bishop said.

Local priest Fr Michael Champagne said priests often hear confessions outside of the church and this is just an easier way to continue their mission.

"This way we can have it set up and make it present where people are at gatherings like Downtown Alive perhaps, or tailgating, early tailgating," Fr Champagne said.

He thought the mobile confessional could be a first for the entire United States.

Sources

• KWQC
• Image: KWQC

That was the warning issued by researcher Kaya Oakes after an historic 5-4 US Supreme Court ruling affirming the right of same-sex couples to marry throughout the nation.

The ruling's interpretation of the US Constitution means that states must grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples and recognise lawful same-sex marriages conducted in other states.

Ms Oakes, who studies how young people interact with faith, said the Church risks alienating at least two generations of believers if its leaders issue a "defensive, strident" reaction.

"Catholics under 50 were brought up in a time when same-sex relationships were more and more accepted and presented to them in media, so they're acclimated to that as a fairly normal thing," she said.

"When they hear the opposite message coming from faith leaders, it's alienating."

She said that at the parish level, some priests are good at engaging young adults on this issue.

But, institutionally, the Church's message has been perceived as "rejection, intolerance, and bigotry".

"Even just a change of tone would be a step in the right direction," she said.

The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, called the Supreme Court's decision "a tragic error".

Comparing this to the 1973 Roe V Wade Supreme Court abortion ruling , Archbishop Kurtz said "Neither decision is rooted in the truth, and as a result, both will eventually fail".

"Today the Court is wrong again. It is profoundly immoral and unjust for the government to declare that two people of the same sex can constitute a marriage."

Bishop Michael Jarrell of Lafeyette said the ruling would create conscience problems for many Catholics, especially those in public office.

He urged Catholics not to attend same-sex marriage ceremonies.

US bishops have expressed fears as to the ramifications of the Supreme Court's decision on the Church's ability to operate in the public sphere.

The Obama administration has hinted that the tax-exempt status of some institutions could be at risk over the issue.

In their dissenting opinion, the Supreme Court justices who made up the minority also expressed fears over Americans' rights to express dissent.

Sources

• Crux
• National Catholic Reporter
• CBS
• Catholic News Agency
• Catholic News Agency
• The Atlantic
• Image: PRI