Pope Francis has reportedly promised to extend indefinitely his recognition of Confessions heard by priests of the traditionalist Society of St Pius X. Last September, Francis decreed that during the Holy Year of Mercy, anyone who confesses their sins to an SSPX priest will be considered validly forgiven. Now, SSPX superior Bishop Bernard Fellay has Read more
A 95-year-old priest named Friar Roberto walked more than three and a half miles while hearing confessions during a recent “Penitential Walk” in Brazil. The walk that took place Feb. 28 in the northeast Brazilian Archdioceses of Fortaleza and Salvador de Bahia. More than 200,000 people walked five miles in the Penitential Walk. Many of Read more
Catholic churches around the world will be participating in a worldwide “confession drive” on Friday as part of the Jubilee Year of Mercy celebrations. In the Vatican, Pope Francis will hear confessions from the faithful at St. Peter’s Basilica as part of a “24 Hours of Reconciliation” initiative in Italy. In England and Wales, teams Read more
A Louisiana judge has ruled that a state law requiring clergy to report child abuse or other crimes learned in the confessional is unconstitutional because it infringes on religious liberty. At issue is a long-running case involving Rebecca Mayeaux, a 22-year-old who claims that when she was 14 she told Fr. Jeff Bayhi, a Catholic Read more
This is my confession. I was tricked into accepting God back into my life. Yes, you read that right, I was tricked. Duped. Hoodwinked. Bamboozled – or perhaps more accurately, I was enticed by fireworks. After all, simple things amuse simple minds and as soon as my friend told me they were doing backyard fireworks Read more
An Italian priest is worried at the “quality” of people’s confessions he hears and he believes some penitents are misusing Pope Francis’s words. In a letter to the chiesa website last month, the confessor recounted two instances that illustrated what he believes is a trend. One man, who repented of a series of sins against Read more
Fulton Sheen is reputed to have said, “Hearing nuns’ confessions is like being stoned to death with popcorn.” I can’t remember where I read it or why it stuck in my mind, but the words came back to me as I waited in line to make my first confession in more than 20 years. It Read more
An Australian priest broke the seal of Confession to warn a fellow paedophile priest about an altar boy’s abuse complaint. On Monday, during hearings in Melbourne, Australia’s Royal Commission on Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse heard from the victim about the 1968 incident. In the confessional, “BTU” told Fr Wilfred Baker that Fr Ronald Read more
The beginning of the renewal of the Church begins in Confession, Pope Francis has told Germany’s bishops. Pope Francis spoke to the German bishops in audience on November 20 and offered a blunt assessment of their nation’s church. The Pontiff said he hoped the Jubilee Year of Mercy might revive the sacraments of Confession and Read more
A US diocese has converted an ambulance into a mobile confessional. 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 Read more