Popes going to Confession is nothing new, and the current Pope going to confession isn’t newsworthy. Pope Francis decision, however, to go off script yet again in a penance service is.
Rather than heading for the confessional to which he was being escorted in order to hear confessions, Pope Francis chose to make his way to another confessional where he “spent about three minutes kneeling before the priest’s open confessional and received absolution.” Only after doing so did he hear confessions.
So What?
Once again, Pope Francis is practicing what he preaches. His decision to model the practice of Confession was a powerful way of kicking off an initiative known as “24 Hours for the Lord,” which sought to have at least one parish in every dioceses around the world open all day and night on March 28 to welcome penitents coming for confession.
How have you chosen to make confession a part of your Lenten journey this year?