As of: March 28, 2024, 6:00 a.m
By: Michaele Heske
Comments
Press
Split
The village priest Stephan Matula has an open ear for the believers in the Maria Dorfen parish church. f.: heske © Michaele Heske
There used to be long queues in front of the confessionals in some churches before Easter. Before Easter, Catholics should ease their conscience. Today, this is part of Easter for fewer and fewer people.
Erding
- pride, avarice, lust, anger, gluttony, envy and sloth - the Catholic Church's register of sins is large. For centuries, every Catholic has been required to confess at least once a year - at Easter. It used to be compulsory and only a few dared to skip confession. With confession, the Catholic Church has implanted a culture of confession into the faith that eases the conscience and forgives sins. But the sacrament of penance is becoming less important, pastors in the district observe.
“There was enormous pressure, and thank God that is no longer the case,” explains Erdinger’s parish priest, Martin Garmaier. For him, confession is a voluntary matter. “An opportunity, but not a must.” If someone has something on their mind, the confessional is of course open to them, the priest adds. “Whoever repents of his sins will be forgiven,” believes Garmaier.
But why actually go through the detour of a priest who acts in “persona Christi” and remits sins on his behalf? “I wonder that too,” he says. “There is forgiveness on earth through our Lord God – he doesn’t need me as an intermediary.” His own conscience has never been put to the test, reports Garmaier. So far, no one has confided in him about serious sins: “Even if someone confesses a crime to me, I’m not allowed to say anything,” he refers to the confidentiality of confession.
Before Palm Sunday, the Isen pastor Josef Kriechbaumer also offered confession opportunities in the churches of his parish association: “Only two people made confession in St. Zeno on Saturday, but they were very intensive confessional discussions,” is his summary.
35 years ago, says the pastor, he worked as a chaplain in the Dorfen parish. At that time, around 2,000 confessional pictures were distributed at Easter. Four confessors were on duty to manage the rush at Easter confession. He believes that the sense of guilt has decreased as the reason for the dwindling interest. On the other hand, the congregation prays with every “Our Father”: “Forgive us our trespasses.”
Even in the Maria Dorfen parish church there are no longer any queues in front of the confessionals. “Compared to other parishes, we still do a lot of confession,” says city priest Stephan Matula. Not only older believers eased their consciences in the pilgrimage church, many younger Catholics also sought absolution, especially now before Easter.
Just as you have to organize the egg hunt and the feast for the family celebration, you should also “examine your conscience before the most important Christian holiday and prepare well for the resurrection,” says Father Stephan.
In any case, a penitential service is not a replacement for the sacrament of confession, says Father Paul Kruczek from Taufkirchen. Only a priest can absolve believers of their sins. “The soul must become pure – the magic word is confession.”