Vatican course on administering the Sacrament of Confession

(March 9, 2010) A course started in the Vatican on Monday to teach young priests how to correctly administer the sacrament of confession. The major penitentiary, Archbishop Fortunato Baldelli, is leading the week-long course, in which "moral and canonical subjects will be discussed related to the ministry of penance, above all that of confession," a statement said. During the course, experts will address complex or difficult situations in the sacrament as also "the canonical discipline and its correct application in relation to offences and punishments and several practical aspects.” The course will “treat some cases of conjugal and family morality and confession will be proposed as an instrument for moral education," the communiqué added. The priests will also learn how to redirect appeals to the penitentiary and about the concession and use of indulgences.