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Image: Cure of Ars
Pope Francis’ address to the community of the Vatican College of Penitentiaries
on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the entrustment to the Friars Minor Conventual
of the Ministry of Confession in St Peter’s Basilica
Consistory Hall – Thursday, 24 October 2024
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Your Eminence,
I greet Father Vincenzo Cosatti and all of you.
I am happy to meet you on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the entrustment to the Friars Minor Conventual of the ministry of confession in St Peter’s Basilica (cf. Clement XIV, Motu Proprio Miserator Dominus, 10 August 1774).
Clement XIV did it, perhaps one of the good things he did.
But, poor thing, he did the others through the inspiration of that brother of yours, Bontempi, who I think is still in hell [laughs], but I am not sure.
When Clement XIV died, Bontempi took refuge in the Spanish embassy, because he was afraid. After a few months, when there was peace, he went to the General and told him “Father General, I bring you three bulls. [In return I ask, firstly, that I may have money – Franciscan! -Secondly, that I may live outside the community, and thirdly, that I may travel wherever I wish”.
And the General, a conventual sage, took the Bulls: “But dear one, one is missing” – “Which one, Father?”. “The one that guarantees the salvation of your soul!”.
This is historic, because he had deceived Pope Ganganelli with all these things.
Bontempi was cunning!
More than forty thousand people visit St Peter’s Basilica every day!
Many come from afar and face journeys, expenses and long queues to get there; others come for tourism, the majority.
But many come to pray at the tomb of the first of the Apostles, to reaffirm their faith and their communion with the Church and to entrust to the Lord dear intentions, or to fulfill vows they have made.
Others, even of other faiths, enter it “as tourists”, attracted by the beauty, the history, the charm of the art.
But in all of them there is, consciously or unconsciously, there is one great search: the search for God, the eternal Beauty and Goodness, whose desire lives and beats in the heart of every man and woman who lives in this world. The desire for God.
Your presence is important in this context.
For the faithful and pilgrims, because it allows them to meet the Lord of Mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Dear friends, forgive everything, everything, everything. Always do it: forgive everything!
We are for forgiveness, someone else will be for quarrelling!
And for all the others, because it testifies to them that the Church welcomes them first of all as a community of the saved, of the forgiven, who believe, hope and love in the light and with the strength of God’s tenderness.
Let us therefore pause for a moment to reflect on your ministry, highlighting three particular aspects: humility, listening and mercy.
First: humility.
The Apostle Peter, a forgiven disciple, who comes to shed his blood in martyrdom only after humbly weeping for his sins (Lk 22:56-62 – see footnote 1 below), teaches us this.
He reminds us that every Apostle – and every penitent – carries the treasure of grace which he distributes in an earthen vessel, “so that it may be seen that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us” (2 Cor 4:7 – But we have this treasure[a] in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us.).
Therefore, dear brothers, in order to be good confessors, let us “be the first penitents in search of forgiveness” (Bull Misericordiae Vultus, 17), spreading under the imposing vaults of the Vatican Basilica the fragrance of a humble prayer, that implores and asks for mercy.
Secondly: listening,
Listening is for everyone, and especially for young people and children.
It is the testimony of Peter the shepherd, who walks among his flock and who grows in listening to the Spirit through the voice of his brothers and sisters (Acts 10:34-48 see footnote 2 below).
Listening means not only listening to what people say, but above all accepting their words as a gift from God for one’s own conversion, docilely, like clay in the potter’s hands (cf. Is 64:7 – There is no one that calls upon thy name, that bestirs himself to take hold of thee; for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast deliveredus into the hand of our iniquities.).
In this regard, it will do us good never to forget that “by truly listening to our brothers and sisters in the sacramental conversation, we listen to Jesus himself, poor and humble… let us become hearers of the Word” and that only in this way can we hope to offer him the greatest service: that of bringing him “into contact with Jesus”.
Listening, not so much asking questions; Don’t be a psychiatrist, please: listen, listen always, with meekness. And when you see that there is a penitent who begins to have a little difficulty, because he is ashamed, say “I understand”; I didn’t understand anything, but I understood; God has understood and that is important.
This was taught to me by a great Cardinal Penitentiary: “I understood”, the Lord understood. But please don’t be a psychiatrist, the less you talk the better: listen, console and forgive. You are there to forgive!
Finally, third: mercy.
As dispensers of God’s forgiveness, it is important to be “men of mercy”, sunny, generous men, ready to understand and console, in words and in attitude.
Here too Peter is an example to us, with his discourses imbued with forgiveness (Acts 3:12-20 – see footnote 2 below). The confessor – a clay vessel, as we have said – has only one medicine to pour out on the wounds of his brothers and sisters: God’s mercy.
These three aspects of God: closeness, mercy and compassion.
The confessor must be close, merciful and compassionate.
When a confessor begins to ask… No, you’re a psychiatrist, please stop,.
This was taught by St. Leopold Mandić, who loved to repeat: “Why should we humiliate more the souls who come to prostrate themselves at our feet? Aren’t they humiliated enough? Did Jesus humiliate the tax collector, the adulteress, the Magdalene?”; and he added: “And if the Lord reproached me for being too generous, I could say to him: ‘Paron benedeto, you gave me this bad example by dying on the cross for souls, moved by your divine charity'” (cf. Lorenzo da Fara, Leopoldo Mandic. Humanity, Holiness, Velar, 1989).
May the Lord give us the grace to be able to repeat the same words!
A few times I have told the story of that Capuchin who is a confessor in Buenos Aires – I don’t know if I have told it to you – I have made him a Cardinal not this time, the other time.
He is 96 years old and he continues to confess; I went to him, forgive everything!
Once he came to tell me that he was afraid he was forgiving too much.
“What are you doing?”, I told him. “I go to the Lord: Lord will you forgive me?
Sorry, I forgave too much! But be careful that it was You who gave me the bad example!”
Always forgive, everything and without asking for much. And if I don’t understand?
God understands, you go ahead! May they feel mercy.
Dear brothers, thank you for your service, for your diligence and patience, for your fidelity!
My confessor died a few months ago, I am going to confess to you, to St. Peter’s. You do it well!
Thank you for being ministers of the sacramental presence of God’s love in the heart of the Church. Continue your ministry in this way: in humility – I am worse than you – in listening, and not so much questioning, and in mercy.
Please, do not forget to pray for me. And every time I come to you, forgive me, you understand.
Footnote 1
Luke 22:56-62
56 Then a maid, seeing him as he sat in the light and gazing at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 And a little later some one else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.
Footnote 2
Acts 10:34-48
34 And Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I perceive that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation any one who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 You know the word which he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37 the word which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses to all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him manifest; 41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that he is the one ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that every one who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” 44 While Peter was still saying this, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47 “Can any one forbid water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.
Footnote 3 Acts 3:12-20
12 And when Peter saw it he addressed the people, “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? 13 The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant[a] Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. 14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And his name, by faith in his name, has made this man strong whom you see and know; and the faith which is through Jesus[b] has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.17 “And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,
