CONFESSORS MUST ALWAYS ADHERE TO MAGISTERIUM OF THE CHURCH

VATICAN CITY, MAR 28, 2003 (VIS) - The pro-penitentiary major and the prelates and officials of the Apostolic Penitentiary, the penitential priests of Rome's major basilicas, as well as many young priests and seminarians, were welcomed this morning by the Holy Father in the traditional audience he holds with them as they participate in the annual course on the internal forum.

The internal forum is that sphere of ecclesiastical authority exercised in regard to matters dealing with the private spiritual good of individuals, the sphere in which the Sacrament of Penance is administered.

The Holy Father told his listeners he wished to reflect on "the privileged relation that exists between the priesthood and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which must be received from the priest above all with faith and humility, as well as with convinced frequency."

"To the intrinsic value of the Sacrament of Penance must be added its ascetic efficacy as an occasion for self-examination and therefore, as a verification, happy or painful, of one's own level of fidelity to promises. It is also an ineffable moment to 'experience' the eternal charity that the Lord has for each one of us in our unrepeatable individuality; it is an outlet for delusions and bitterness, inflicted on us perhaps unjustly: it is a consoling balm for the many forms of suffering that mark life."

The priest who hears confession, stressed John Paul II, must welcome the penitent, be thoughtful, warm and caring in his demeanor and "not be avaricious with his time." He must also, said the Pope, use charity and justice "in referring, without ideological variations, ... to the genuine teachings of the Church."

"In particular," he continued, "I wish to call your attention to the duty to adhere to the Magisterium of the Church concerning the complex problems that occur in the bioethical sphere and concerning the moral and canonical norms in the sphere of marriage."

He forcefully reiterated a point he made in his 2002 Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday: "It can happen that in the face of complex contemporary ethical problems the faithful leave the confessional with somewhat confused ideas, especially if they find that confessors are not consistent in their judgments. The truth is that those who fulfill this delicate ministry in the name of God and of the Church have a specific duty not to promote and, even more so, not to express in the confessional, personal opinions that do not correspond to what the Church teaches and professes. Likewise, a failure to speak the truth because of a misconceived sense of compassion should not be taken for love."

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