Confession has a confession to make: The sacrament of reconciliation isn't the draw it once was. A recent Pew Research Center study found that only 43% of American Catholics avail themselves of confession at least once a year. And from there, the
What can you do to be best prepared for the Sacrament of Confession? Monsignor Charles Pope recommends writing down your sins during your examination of conscience and using the list in the confessional. Meditating on certain passages of Scripture can also help
Holding hands during the Our Father seems to have emerged from AA meetings, where it remains a common practice today writes Msgr. Charles Pope in this week’s Pastoral Answers. That’s why it was associated with the Our Father rather than the creed,
Scour the pages of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and you won’t find the term “time machine.” Watch, or re-watch, the 1985 blockbuster movie “Back to the Future” and you won’t spot a scene where anyone speaks of going to confession.
When it comes to the Sacrament of Confession, Church law trumps that of the state. Regardless of the passage of any governmental legislation, breaking the seal of confession is simply not an option for a priest.
In the light of "a worrying negative prejudice" against the Catholic Church, Pope Francis ordered the publication of a document affirming the absolute secrecy of everything said in confession and calling on priests to defend it at all costs, even at the
In rare cases, priests can withhold absolution from the penitent if they refuse to cease immoral acts
When Catholic clergy, penitents, theologians and canon lawyers look at the wording in a California state bill that would compel a priest to reveal what's heard during confession if there is a suspicion of child sexual abuse, they see an infringement on
Church officials are urging Catholics to continue to oppose a California bill that would force priests to disclose information about child sexual abuse that they hear in the sacrament of confession.
In this week's In Focus, Russel Shaw writes, Regardless of his personality or character, his virtue or personal courage, virtually any Catholic priest would rather go to jail than betray a penitent who comes to him for confession. Here's an explanation why.