Fake Confessions

[Urib2007]

Looks like some priests just don't know what to tell confessors. Perhaps they should've just looked into what the Bible teaches. What are your thoughts regarding this latest article from Catholic News?

[b]Vatican newspaper denounces reporter who posed as penitent for expose[/b]

By John Thavis
Catholic News Service

[b]VATICAN CITY (CNS)[/b] -- The Vatican newspaper denounced an Italian journalist who posed as a penitent and confessed fake sins in order to write an expose on the sacrament of reconciliation.

"Fake confessions in search of a shameful scoop," the newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, headlined a commentary condemning the cover story of L'Espresso magazine, one of the country's leading weeklies.

"Shame! There is no other word to express our distress toward an operation that was disgusting, worthless, disrespectful and particularly offensive," the newspaper said.

The commentary said the article had exploited the good faith of confessors and offended the religious sentiments of millions of people.

"It was a sacrilege, because it violated the sacred space in which a self-recognized sinner asks intimately to receive God's merciful love," it said.

The reporter made his false confessions to 24 different priests in five Italian cities, including Rome. The magazine said the idea was to see how priests handle difficult pastoral situations and whether they followed the strict norms laid out by church teaching.

[b]The reporter, for example, told two priests he was HIV-positive and wondered whether he should use a condom when having sexual relations with his girlfriend. One told him no, and the other said it was a question of conscience, the magazine reported.[/b]

More than once, the magazine said, priests gave quite different advice on his supposed "sins," which included matters relating to homosexuality, divorce, stem-cell research, euthanasia and prostitution.

One issue that found unanimous condemnation by confessors was abortion, the magazine said.

END

[cmotherofpirl]

God have mercy on those poor reporters for their grave sin.

[thessalonian]

[quote]they should've just looked into what the Bible teaches. [/quote]

What you think it teaches?

The episode is a grave sacralidge!
As far as what was reported, the honesty of the person reporting is already compromised so he is hardly trustable. But regardless, we know there are liberal priests out there. We know there are those who don't give the truth straight. What's new. What's your point Urib?

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Urib2007' post='1181517' date='Jan 31 2007, 05:20 PM']
Looks like some priests just don't know what to tell confessors.
[/quote]
Just for clarification, a "confessor" is the priest who hears confessions. A "penitent" is the person confessing.

[Knight of the Holy Rosary]

What a repulsive disrespectful thing to do!

[TruthSeeker777]

wow, either way!
What great advice.
thats why its better to listen to Jesus,
His words and advice NEVER changes.
Only people twist Gods word to conform
to their evil sinfull lives.

Edited January 31, 2007 by Truthseeker777

[KnightofChrist]

I can say every Priest I have ever know would have told the man to keep his pants on.

[quote name='Truthseeker777' post='1181691' date='Jan 31 2007, 07:20 PM']
wow, either way!
What great advice.
thats why its better to listen to Jesus,
His words and advice NEVER changes.
Only people twist Gods word to conform
to their evil sinfull lives.
[/quote]


The teachings of Holy Mother Church the Bride of Christ, never changes even if her children rebel from that teaching.

[Socrates]

[quote name='Urib2007' post='1181517' date='Jan 31 2007, 05:20 PM']
Looks like some priests just don't know what to tell confessors. Perhaps they should've just looked into what the Bible teaches. What are your thoughts regarding this latest article from Catholic News?

[b]Vatican newspaper denounces reporter who posed as penitent for expose[/b]

By John Thavis
Catholic News Service

[b]VATICAN CITY (CNS)[/b] -- The Vatican newspaper denounced an Italian journalist who posed as a penitent and confessed fake sins in order to write an expose on the sacrament of reconciliation.

"Fake confessions in search of a shameful scoop," the newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, headlined a commentary condemning the cover story of L'Espresso magazine, one of the country's leading weeklies.

"Shame! There is no other word to express our distress toward an operation that was disgusting, worthless, disrespectful and particularly offensive," the newspaper said.

The commentary said the article had exploited the good faith of confessors and offended the religious sentiments of millions of people.

"It was a sacrilege, because it violated the sacred space in which a self-recognized sinner asks intimately to receive God's merciful love," it said.

The reporter made his false confessions to 24 different priests in five Italian cities, including Rome. The magazine said the idea was to see how priests handle difficult pastoral situations and whether they followed the strict norms laid out by church teaching.

[b]The reporter, for example, told two priests he was HIV-positive and wondered whether he should use a condom when having sexual relations with his girlfriend. One told him no, and the other said it was a question of conscience, the magazine reported.[/b]

More than once, the magazine said, priests gave quite different advice on his supposed "sins," which included matters relating to homosexuality, divorce, stem-cell research, euthanasia and prostitution.

One issue that found unanimous condemnation by confessors was abortion, the magazine said.

END
[/quote]
1) What the reporters were doing is a grave sacrilege, as others have pointed out.

2)The priest who gave the line about sex with condoms being a "matter of conscience" is not following Church teaching. Extramarital sex (with or without condoms) is a sin of fornication in itself, and using contraception is always sinful.

[Katholikos]

[quote name='Urib2007' post='1181517' date='Jan 31 2007, 05:20 PM']


[b]The reporter, for example, told two priests he was HIV-positive and wondered whether he should use a condom when having sexual relations with his girlfriend. One told him no, and the other said it was a question of conscience, the magazine reported.[/b]

More than once, the magazine said, priests gave quite different advice on his supposed "sins," which included matters relating to homosexuality, divorce, stem-cell research, euthanasia and prostitution.

One issue that found unanimous condemnation by confessors was abortion, the magazine said.

END
[/quote]BULL-oney. This reporter wouldn't have received absolution if he told the priest he intended to continue having sexual relations with his girlfriend. He's as deceitful in the reporting as he was in the "confessing."

What's your point in posting this, Urib?

[prose]

Yeah, you can't confess a sin and then say "but I still plan on doing it". No priest, rebellious or otherwise, would be able to give absolution. In fact, the act of contrition hinges on the person changing their ways.

[Fixxxer]

[quote name='Truthseeker777' post='1181691' date='Jan 31 2007, 06:20 PM']
wow, either way!
What great advice.
thats why its better to listen to Jesus,
His words and advice NEVER changes.
Only people twist Gods word to conform
to their evil sinfull lives.
[/quote]

That is the best thing you have said ever on here. Its better to listen to Jesus then some guy who thinks he knows everything aka you.

[jeffpugh]

I get it all, but I don't see the point of this thread... its just disgusting.

[SJRod55]

If our priests do not follow the word of the Church then what example are they setting? Likewise when 'reporters' go 'undercover' and set up situations it is a disgrace to their 'profession.' In Albania there is current havoc because a reporter 'found' identity certificates and then used a false name and personal information to complete the identity document and subsequently used it to obtain electoral documents which gave him/her the right to vote. They were 'trying' to point out the system is flawed and corrupted, yet they themselves knowingly broke the law in their attempt to do so. Now they are being prosecuted and shouting up quite a storm because they claim their prosecution is to cover up the original flaw in the system.

Investigative journalism must have ethics otherwise where do the boundaries lie?

[ardillacid]

Pretty convenient that priests can't talk about it after confession, isn't it.

[Anomaly]

Regardless of the methods of the reporters, right or wrong, what about addressing what the reporters found? That is reality, isn't it?
Apply what the reporters found to the probabiltiy that real people may have had those same questions in the confessional and received different reponses.
Are those people forgiven, or are they unknowingly damned to hell?

[Aloysius]

The priest's advice does not alter whether or not the penitent is forgiven. They may not be culpable for further sins they commit on the advice of the priest. But these sins are evils; and guess who IS culpable-- the priest.

I do believe many priests will burn in eternal hellfire for acting [i]in persona diabola[/i] instead of [i]in persona Christi[/i] by convincing people their sins aren't really sins and they can just keep doing it and build sin upon sin upon sin.

The priest who intentionally backs away into this "matter of conscience thing"; if he absolved a person knowing he had no purpose to ammend his life: he will answer for it on judgement day. He should know better.

Any penitent who confesses with no purpose of ammendment is not really receiving sacramental absolution... all that can be hoped for them is that they are not deemed culpable for their ignorance of morality.

But a penitent who receives bad advice but confessed in good faith and did not intend to do any of the sins he was confessing again receives absolution.

[catholimaniac]

[quote name='Anomaly' post='1182216' date='Feb 1 2007, 12:31 PM']
Regardless of the methods of the reporters, right or wrong, what about addressing what the reporters found? That is reality, isn't it? [/quote]

The reality is this reporter misrepresented himself and created lies, which he told to a priest. Why should I believe anything he says? His methods destroy any credibility he has and frankly I don't believe that this reporter is telling the truth in his report.
Once someone tells one lie, how are you to believe anything else he said? The guy is more in need of our prayers than anything else.

Pax,

Tad

[Aloysius]

sadly, the existence of such priests is not really in question. there are liberal priests who refuse to enforce the Church's teachings on certain things in the confessional.

[Theoketos]

[quote name='Raphael' post='1181674' date='Jan 31 2007, 05:56 PM']
Just for clarification, a "confessor" is the priest who hears confessions. A "penitent" is the person confessing.
[/quote]

I was confused when I read that in the article.

[Anomaly]

[quote name='catholimaniac' post='1182299' date='Feb 1 2007, 02:11 PM']
The reality is this reporter misrepresented himself and created lies, which he told to a priest. Why should I believe anything he says? His methods destroy any credibility he has and frankly I don't believe that this reporter is telling the truth in his report.
Once someone tells one lie, how are you to believe anything else he said? The guy is more in need of our prayers than anything else.

Pax,

Tad
[/quote]Dude, one only has to spend an hour surfing Catholic sites on the internet to see that reality of almost every priest having a different opinion. Spend an hour just looking at some of the commentary threads posted on open mic.

So tell me. Once you come accross a priest telling you one lie, are you ever going to believe anything else he says?