Dear Paola.

Don Ariel also touches on the subject of those cases in which certain penitents stop confessing for years,
because offended or scandalized by the confessor's bad behavior. Certainly this one,
as Don Ariel rightly says, must do everything possible so that the penitent does not
come and experience these feelings.

But even the penitent shouldn't be so sensitive and irritated, to cease
to confess. Let us also admit that the confessor acted guilty:
he too is not a sinner? It cannot happen to everyone to meet a doctor who does not treat us well?

And what we do? Let's stop looking after health? If a doctor doesn't treat us well,
you go to another. E’ very simple.
The confessor is the doctor of our soul. If a confessor does not satisfy us or us
offends or sins in the confessional, you go to a good confessor, maybe taking
first information. But it makes no sense and it is foolish to stop confessing.

Of course, the priest who confesses wrong, he must correct himself, but we are careful not to blame too much
to the confessor, as if to be blamed on him, if the penitent stops
confess for 20, 30 O 40 year old. Not at all. Even the penitent
has his fault, that's that, as I said, to refuse
go to another confessor. And indeed the suspicion comes that this
exaggerated susceptibility hides a certain contempt for confession,
which is even more serious.

The errors of today's confessors are no longer those of asking indiscreet questions in the
field of sex, ma, on the contrary, consist in acquitting false penitents,
who are not at all in a position to be acquitted, they consist in neglecting to question the penitent about his sins, letting him tell the good works he has done
and listening to his rancorous complaints about the wrongs received and about his own misfortunes.

Here the confession is not only indiscreet and embarrassing, but it is even null and void,
risking sacrilege and superstition, because the material is missing, which is the accusation of sins.

Here it happens that the so-called “penitent” he goes away in indignation, not because it was
questioned indiscreetly, but why the confessor simply,
as is his duty, he asked him what sins he accuses himself of.

If in the rigorous pre-conciliar climate the confessor tortured the penitent with
a third degree interregatory, in the good mood of now he is the loyal confessor
to his duty that he is tortured by “penitent”, accustomed by other priests not
to be questioned, but to talk about everything free-wheeling, so that the confessor
zealous, who finds the penitent lacking the necessary dispositions, is obliged to
to introduce a catechesis on confession, to demolish with difficulty, when all is well,
inveterate prejudices for decades.

Dear P. Giovanni Cavalcoli, I have already pointed out these last two articles of yours on confession, his and that of P. Ariel, to various priests of my district, and I must tell you that they and I both greatly appreciated them.
I really know that in various respects you have truly remained the last island for those who still believe …
With gratitude.

Caro Father.
I've always been against killing two birds with one stone, but since I go for the 80 … if my memory does not fail me, I remember that in our churches, 50/60 years ago this happened: when the priest started preaching, the men (which stood at the back of the church), they went out to chat, the women went to confession.
These are scenes that I remember.
In my view, during the celebration of masses, you really shouldn't confess, making confessions before or after mass.
Different instead, as she says, if there is in the church, in a separate place from where mass is celebrated, a special place for confessions, where people who do not attend that mass go to confession.
Great article, illuminating as always.

Dear Father. In July last year, being in the Cinque Terre on vacation, I came with my husband to Mass in the church of his convent in Varazze. My innate shyness prevented me from introducing myself, then it was Sunday, there were many people. I wanted to tell her that we always read your articles, but I didn't have the courage to do it. My husband first I later confessed to her. My husband came out smiling from the confession and said to me … go and take advantage because we won't find a confessor like that. Venni io, and when I left I told my husband … you were right!
The coming summer, how much we will be back, I will overcome shyness and introduce myself.
In the article on confession written by Fr.. Ariel I found several described “bad” confessors known to me since I had 13 year old, today I have 67. I too was so upset with a confessor (I had 35 year old) that I returned to a confessor only many years later (a few days before making it 50).