The Seminar “Celebrating the Sacrament of Confession Today”, an initiative organised by the Apostolic Penitentiary, will begin on Thursday 13 October in the Vatican, at the Palazzo della Cancelleria. Chancery, the Training Seminar “Celebrating the Sacrament of Confession Today”, an initiative promoted and organised by the Apostolic Penitentiary.
The Penitentiary, which for over thirty years has been training young priests to the ministry of confessor through the annual Course on the Internal Forum, with this new proposal intends to focus attention on the other side of the confessional and therefore place itself on the side of the faithful who approach the sacrament to obtain the God’s forgiveness. The aim is to contribute to the rediscovery of this sacrament, sometimes neglected or misunderstood, to underline its beauty and help people live it with renewed enthusiasm.
The programme, spread over the two days of Thursday 13 and Friday 14 October, first of all includes the lectio magistralis by Card. Mauro Piacenza, Major Penitentiary Major, which will be followed by two introductions to the theme respectively from a biblical (Don Fabio Rosini) and anthropological (Prof. Mario Polia) perspective.
On Friday morning, the Regent of the Penitentiary, Mgr Krzysztof Nykiel will respond to the main objections most commonly raised against the confession, while Prof. Don Angel García Ibáñez and Prof. Don Marco Panero SDB will explore some aspects of the sacrament from a theological and pedagogical point of view.
Finally, in the last session on Friday afternoon, after the talk by Prof. Fr. Jaime Emilio González Magaña SJ on the meaning and importance of the practice of the examination of conscience for a fruitful celebration of the sacrament and in one’s personal spiritual life, three witnesses who have personally experienced the joy of the sacramental encounter with the Father merciful Father and who will present the decisive role played by the sacrament of Confession in their faith journey. Confession in their faith journey.
To take part in the Formation Seminar in presence, one must register on the website www.penitenzieria.va by filling in the appropriate registration form. Otherwise, it is possible to follow the lectures remotely by connecting to the YouTube channel of the Dicastery for Communication (https://www.youtube.com/c/VaticanNews). In both cases, participation is free of charge.
