Pope Benedict receives confessors

Each year during Lent, the Apostolic Penitentiary holds a formation course on the internal forum – the personal area of conscience and judgment, which is of paramount importance for penitents and priest-confessors.

In his remarks on Friday to the more than 700 participants in this year’s course, Pope Benedict XVI concentrated on the pedagogical value of the sacrament of Christian penance – discussing the ways in which the sacrament can be and provide teaching moments for both priests and penitents, alike.

The Holy Father said, “In our time, characterized by noise, by distraction and by solitude, the colloquy of the penitent with the priest can represent one of the few – perhaps the only – occasion for truly being listened-to and heard in the depths of one’s being.”

The Holy Father also encouraged priests to spend time in the confessional. “Dear priests,” continued Pope Benedict, “do not neglect to give opportune space to the exercise of the ministry of the Sacrament of Penance,” which, he said, “educates the penitent in humility, in the recognition of his frailty, and the awareness of the need for God’s forgiveness and trust that God’s Grace can transform one’s life.”

The 2011 Lenten course of the Apostolic Penitentiary opened on Monday, March 21^st, and ran through Friday, March 25th.

Listen to Chris Altieri's report: