Pope offers confessors advice, emphasizes seal applies from beginning to end of Confession
March 28, 2022
» Continue to this story on Vatican Press Office
CWN Editor's Note: On March 25, Pope Francis received participants in a course on the internal forum organized by the Apostolic Penitentiary.
Pope Francis told 800 priests in Paul VI Audience Hall that acceptance, listening, and accompaniment are “three essential dimensions of the confessor’s ministry; three faces of love, to which we must add the joy that always accompanies it.”
The Pope also spoke about the duration of the confessional seal. “I have realized that a relativization of the sacramental seal is creeping into some groups, some associations,” he warned. “For example, they say: the seal is for the sin, but then everything that comes after the sin or before the sin, you can say. No! And there are some groups that support this; and then the confessor tells the superiors the other things. No. The seal is from the time you begin to the time you end ... everything is under seal.”
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Posted by: feedback -
Mar. 28, 2022 10:11 AM ET USA
This kind of violation of the Church Law (Can. 983 §1, Can. 984, and Can. 1388 §1 - latae sententiae excommunication) should be addressed with official document from a proper Congregation. Pope Francis was correct, but his remarks to a group of priests won't solve this grave problem. Especially that Francis is known to make confusing statements.
