Hundreds of thousands of young people descending on Madrid this week for the Catholic church’s World Youth Day – which features processions, group prayers and a mass with Pope Benedict XVI – are to get a “special” concession.
Church leaders have ordered that anyone confessing, during this event, to having had an abortion – a sin punishable by excommunication – will be welcomed back into the church.
“Normally, only certain priests have the power to lift such an excommunication, but the local diocese has decided to give all the priests taking confession at the event this power,” said the pope’s spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi.
Two hundred white wooden confession booths have been set up in Madrid’s Buen Retiro park for the event, which started on Tuesday and runs until Sunday…
The driving force behind the deal is the archbishop of Madrid, Antonio María Rouco Varela, who persuaded the Vatican to offer women who had had abortions access to “the fruits of divine grace that will open the doors to a new life”…
Young Catholics making the trip to the Spanish capital will also gain a plenary indulgence – effectively a reduction in the time believers spend in purgatory after confessing and being absolved of their sins. These concessions were once sold by priests, but now the indulgences are granted on special occasions.
As seen on TV. All credit cards accepted.
#19
Pulling out is not OK. The only thing OK as far as birth control and the Catholic Church goes is something called “Natural Family Planning”
Basically it’s a means of determining when a woman is ovulating and not having sex on those days (with a cushion of a couple days before and after).
There are a few different methods but one uses basal body temperature and observation of cervical mucus.
When practiced correctly it’s more reliable than a condom. Unfortunately it’s pretty easy to screw up or just say: “F*ck it. I don’t want to wait another 10 days. We’re married for Christ sakes.”
About 80% of U.S. Catholics ignore the Pope on this one and use more common forms of birth control.
I can see someone getting drunk and staggering into one of these booths in the park. “Can I help you my son?” “Yeah, do you have any toilet paper?”
Apparently a combination of all those priests’ child sex scandals, and the world’s general economic problems, is costing the Church. So marketing these forgiveness vacations (Pilgrimages) to Spain, for those who dropped out when their boyfriends got them pregnant (and never suffered excommunication for fathering babies out of wedlock). I guess the Church figures their former flock must be doing better, financially. Since they didn’t have the burden of raising babies, all on their own, the way the rest of their flock did. So give them some of that money they saved on baby doctors, food and clothes, to get invited back into Heaven. Hopefully, 21st century people will be a little more savvy, to seeing thru this, than their 19th century contemporaries wouldn’t have been.
Why do you have to confess to a human priest if you are Catholic? As a Christian, I am my own royal priest and Jesus is my high priest. I confess my sins directly to God without any clergy required. Thus, it is God, not some man wearing funny clothes who decides whether or not I am forgiven.
I question the need for priests in the Catholic tradition. Protestant denominations get by with a pastor (and maybe some assistants in larger churches) and deacons that volunteer their time to help maintain the local church. Besides Catholic priest seem to get caught up in scandal and shenanigans which distracts from true Christian ministry and frankly hurts the credibility of the Church.
With Christians acting as their own priests, the Church can focus on preaching the Gospel, feeding the hungry, and giving instruction from Scripture.
Watch The Godfather III. It explains the power of absolution. And how to eat a canelloni.
I guess the church is getting low on funds.
I confess I’ve been a good guy, done no bad to my fellow humans, always was nice, friendly and helpful to everyone, always been respectful to ladies, gave money to the poor, spoke no evil of anybody, forgave those who done bad to me…. Most of all, I’ve been a regular human being.
PECATORE!!!!!!!!!! PECATORE MAXIMUM!!!!!!!!!!! PENINENTIA!!!!!!!!!! PENITENTIA!!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously? How can anyone look at this and not realize the entire idea of religions is bullshit? “Killin’ babbies is wrong, nkay? But, just this one time, gawd is gunna fergive ya.” WTF? How can you not see it’s all man-made?
“Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.”
Peter Clemenza
#36, Earlier in the movie he said he would be willing to go hell to protect his family. Then later he asks for a chance to redeem himself and he will sin no more. He got his daughter killed for his selfishness.
I’m waiting for the “End of World” forgiveness special myself. Anybody else think the Catholic church is starting to sound like TV Preachers?
Most of them would be better off staying outside the church, I see no reason for wanting to rejoin…!
Anyway as long as they’re on this special trip, why not offering drive-thru-confessions?