‘Confession a celebration of mercy, not listing of sins’

PRIESTS hearing confessions need to replace any negative or aggressive attitudes with meekness and mercy toward the penitent, said a Vatican expert on confession.

The sacrament of reconciliation “has led to a unilateral overemphasis on the accusation and listing of sins,” said Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican court that handles issues related to the sacrament of penance.

The end result is that “the thing that is absolutely central when listening to sin, that is, the blessed embrace of the merciful Father, is put on the backburner,” he said.

The Italian bishop’s comments, published Jan. 28 in the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, were made in his address to a symposium for confessors held in Loreto, Italy.

“Isn’t it true perhaps that at times confession takes on the semblance of a prosecuting tribunal rather than a celebration of forgiveness,” and that the conversation takes on “inquisitorial or, in any case, indelicate tones?” he asked.

A confessor is first and foremost a father who welcomes, listens and engages in dialogue, he said.

People going to confession “are seeking comfort, advice and forgiveness,” he said. Often they are dealing with problems in their personal life or in their relationships; concerns about contraception, separation or divorce; or difficulties between parent and child, he said.

Report from ucanews.com