Pope: Church Needs a Few Good Confessors [Zenit]

[Catholic_Press]

Sends Message to Italy’s National Liturgical Week

VATICAN CITY, AUG. 25, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The Church needs “wise and holy spiritual teachers” who are able not only to hear confessions, but also to educate consciences.

The Pope said this in a letter sent by his secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, on the occasion of Italy’s 60th National Liturgical Week, being held in Barletta with the theme: “Celebrate Mercy: ‘Let Yourselves Be Reconciled With God.’” The letter is addressed to Bishop Felice de Molfetta of Cerignola-Ascoli Satriano, president of Italy’s Center of Liturgical Action.

The Pontiff noted that this year’s focus on the sacrament of reconciliation to be “a particularly opportune choice” given the meeting marks “35 years after the new Rite of Penance came into force for the Church in Italy, and in happy coincidence with the Year for Priests.”

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[Brooklyn]

I’m glad to see that the Pope is addressing the sacrament of confession. I find it very distressing to go into into churches and see confessionals being used for storage. One church I know of has officially 45 minutes of confession a month, and one priest said one time they had a lot of people - 8!!

Regular confession is absolutely vital to spiritual health, but I recently saw a survey that said most Catholics rarely if ever go to confession. I think a large part of the problem is that sin is never preached anymore. Why should people confess sins if they’re not even aware that they are sinners?

We don’t need to be scaring people with stories of hellfire and brimstone, but they need to know why our Lord had to hang on a cross, just what was being accomplished there, how their sins put him there and the need for regular confession.

I truly hope something comes of this.

Mary

 

[cyberwolf001]

i’m glad to see that the pope is addressing the sacrament of confession. I find it very distressing to go into into churches and see confessionals being used for storage. One church i know of has officially 45 minutes of confession a month, and one priest said one time they had a lot of people - 8!!

i’m pagan and this is shocking to me!

o.o

 

[spirocatania]

the priests just needs to inform and remind people about the confession and explain to them esp the younger people of today. even if the preist say something once a month just to remind them that he will be here a certain time dont be afried to confess i want you to get closer to god. hopefull they will start coming. I’m 25 years old and when i go to confession there are alot of older people waiting but i never see anyone my age or younger. barly

 

[peregrinus_WA]

My parish must be the exception. Saturdays, we have all 5 confessionals for a period of time. Sundays, it is as many as 4 before and during Mass. There are always lines and many of us go every week.

 

[Elizabeth502]

I find it very distressing to go into into churches and see confessionals being used for storage.

I see a lot of symbolism in that statement.

the priests just needs to inform and remind people about the confession and explain to them esp the younger people of today. even if the preist say something once a month just to remind them that he will be here a certain time dont be afried to confess i want you to get closer to god. hopefull they will start coming

No, this is not enough. I agree with Benedict: the Church needs spiritual teachers, to inform and sensitize the faithful to probe their actions & motivations, so that it becomes increasingly apparent how pervasive our sins and sinful tendencies are in our everyday lives. Sin is not something extraordinary & unusual; it is perniciously present, and the temptations are multiple. There are posters who come onto CAF all the time and wonder out loud if they should have to go to confession at all, let alone frequently, since in their minds apparently the only sins needing confessing are Extreme ones such as murder & adultery. And many of these posters are young people who have been poorly taught & insufficiently sensitized. The genuine spirituality of moral theology is not being imparted or received.

As another replier shared, there are always lines at our confessional, too, but ours is not a typical parish at all. The other parishes near me with absent lines, appointment-only confession, and infrequent confession, are typical. That’s understandable if there’s one priest for more than one parish, and/or a very large parish with one priest. It’s actually more important to offer frequent confession than be assured of daily mass, from the point of view of parishioner needs. You need Sunday available Masses, plural; it’s an excellent service to provide some weekday Masses also. But there is no obligation to attend daily Mass. It’s a wonderful privilege to have access to daily Mass; by contrast, it’s a necessity to have access to frequent confession. And a priest who is un-busy enough to be able to provide daily weekday Masses can certainly hear confessions routinely before or after some of those Masses. Mass during the weekday doesn’t take that long. It’s an efficient use of a priest’s time to extend that liturgical hour slightly.

I understand that hearing confessions can be draining & try one’s patience. However, it is an essential & primary role of a priest. So a priest who doesn’t want to do that should never have become a priest. It’s essential to his role of availability, service, counsel, & sacramental minister.

 

[cthulhubryan]

Sends Message to Italy’s National Liturgical Week

VATICAN CITY, AUG. 25, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The Church needs “wise and holy spiritual teachers” who are able not only to hear confessions, but also to educate consciences.

The Pope said this in a letter sent by his secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, on the occasion of Italy’s 60th National Liturgical Week, being held in Barletta with the theme: “Celebrate Mercy: ‘Let Yourselves Be Reconciled With God.’” The letter is addressed to Bishop Felice de Molfetta of Cerignola-Ascoli Satriano, president of Italy’s Center of Liturgical Action.

The Pontiff noted that this year’s focus on the sacrament of reconciliation to be “a particularly opportune choice” given the meeting marks “35 years after the new Rite of Penance came into force for the Church in Italy, and in happy coincidence with the Year for Priests.”

More…

Amen brother Ben.

Oooops, sorry. I mean “Yes, oh beloved Pope”