[fortunecookie]

"The bishop has the obligation not to allow in his diocese abusive recourse to general or collective absolution," he stressed.

This is good news. It's good to hear someone speak out and admonish Bishops not to abuse it.

This is my third year on parish council and several times every year this issue comes up. Most members ask when it will be 'brought back', as a dissenting Priest used general absolution for years. They loved it and miss it. My first year, I was one of only 2 members who opposed it. Luckily our new pastor will have none of it. I'm still amazed that this issue comes up, considering the late Holy Father's urgings for monthly confession as a 'remedy for the west', but it does and I know there will be rumblings in our Diocese about this issue.

[AnAmericanMother]

Stand firm.

FWIW, coming as I do from the Episcopal Church, where general confession is the norm, I can tell you that it's just plain no good and worthless.

Occurring as it does in the middle of the Mass, there's no time for an examination of conscience, no time to think about one's individual sins, and no opportunity to form true contrition or a purpose of amendment.

So it's really a "feel-good" waste of time, that's all. (And you can tell your dissenting parish council members that, from me. I've told the occasional loon in our parish -- they are few and far between, and they mostly keep quiet for fear of Monsignor's wrath, which is pretty impressive. Guess they thought I would lend a sympathetic ear, being an ex-Piskie and all. Boy were they disabused of THAT notion! < g > )

[arkady_renko]

What form is this taking in parishes that use it? I've got to say that I have not encountered it here in Peoria except for at a Charismatic event led by Fr. Michael Scanlon from Stuebenville. He led people in a mass confession ritual and then told them it was "good enough..." that their sins were forgiven. Pretty crazy 'Catholic' event in any case.

A_R