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The concept of confession, or reconciliation as the catholics like to call it nowadays, is that you sit in front of a priest, say some magic words, tell him everything you’ve done wrong and then he says some magic words and hey presto, magic happens and you walk out feeling relieved that all your transgressions have been forgiven by the priest, who is just passing it on from god.  In the mind of the priest and the sinner you have been reconciled with god.  Some men might get a little chubby over that.
Then you get up and leave and say some more magic words along the lines of a Hail Mary or ten or an Our Father and you’ve got a clean slate ready to start all over again.
The priest has always kept all that stuff to themselves.  I’m sure when they all gather around their baptismal fonts swapping little catholic sinner jokes that they tell tales of the confessional and have a damn good laugh.
As we well know, the church has been accused of covering up child sex abuse. Â They shove priests from parish to parish in the vague notion that perhaps nobody will notice.
This has led to several enquiries in different places, and now here in Australia.
After the 4 Corners program revealed the cover up by the catholics here in Australia that contributed to the suicides of some men we now have an enquiry. Â I don’t think it’ll achieve much.
There’s been a suggestion to the Victorian Parliamentary enquiry that priest should come under mandatory reporting and make a report for all suspected cases of child abuse.
Their response?
But Jesuit and human rights lawyer Father Frank Brennan says priests can never reveal secrets of the confessional, and he would rather go to jail than violate the trust of those who come to confession.
Never? Â You can’t be serious. Â Of course a priest can reveal those secrets.
“I’d have to say as a priest if I was told something strictly under the seal of the confessional, I would not reveal it, but I would readily concede if it were not under the strict seal of the confessional, then the same rule should apply to me as to any other citizen,” he said.
Having been there, in a dark box, back in the old days, confessing my sins, I understand how important it is to hear the magic words of forgiveness. Â If you’re feeling guilty, getting that forgiveness means a lot. The good thing about it is that you don’t ever have to address the person you may have wronged, and you know the priest will never out you.
So, you get the all important forgiveness and the incident gets wiped off your soul, so you can get into heaven.
And fuck anyone you may have hurt.
Purple apparently is the colour of repentance
In the case of a serious crime, such as child abuse, the priest gets to hide behind his purple stole and keep the information to himself, the perpetrator gets forgiveness and doesn’t have to answer to anyone else.  Essentially gets off scot free.  The child that is abused suffers, greatly.
That to me sounds piss weak and highly offensive to any child that has ever been raped by a priest that then went to confession. Â And you know damn well that has happened.
This is not the dark ages any more. Â Such arrogance by the catholic church should be treated with contempt. Â There should be no exemptions for the mandatory reporting of child abuse. Â Not only should the priest be charged with hindering police, but the church should be fined for their total disregard for common decency.
The ultimate cover up by a priest.
Confession has to be one of the reasons that organisations like the Mafia with it’s Catholic membership are able to flourish. Kill, steal, rape etc., go to confession and start the cycle again.
Of course, sling the local church 1000s of $ of blood money also helps.
confession is the biggest con, a sure way to make you feel better!