Cardinal Sarah Warns Against Priests Deceiving Souls in the Confessional

For the Guinean prelate, it is a mistake to transform the sacrament of Penance into a simple meeting between two people: “we should conduct ourselves like loving fathers” in this sacrament, “but banish an excess of sentimentality,” he warned.

Cardinal Sarah also showed how important it is for confessors to be men of doctrine:

the confessional should not be a torture chamber, but nor should it be a laboratory for doctrinal experiments. We must avoid giving indications that go against doctrine.

Confessors must therefore be fully formed on dogma and the moral teaching of the Church. “This is a necessity if we wish to guide the people who need us,” recalled the prefect of the liturgy, adding, “souls do not need to be deceived, they need to be guided” – remarks that say much about the shortcomings in the formation of priests and the prevailing permissiveness.

Cardinal Sarah ended by urging priests to turn off their cellphones before entering the confessional:

We have heard of the existence of text messages from priests on social networks during confession! I think this is a form of practical atheism. There is no greater sinner in such a situation than the priest.

He concluded, “when people go to confession and listen, they are listening to Christ.”