You're right about this article. If more Catholics are returning to Confession that is, indeed, a good thing. But communal penance services that offer general absolution give people an excuse to avoid receiving the real Sacrament of Penance. These kinds of services are an abuse. But, there is a legitimate form of the communal penance service that does not give people general absolution but that gives them the opportunity for individual confession and absolution. This kind of service is a good thing. It's too bad the article confused the two.
It's worse then "an excuse" IMHO. It's a counterfeit - at least two ways. It's illicit (I doubt it is a valid sacrament) and it deprives one of the non-sacramental benefits of private confession, which are HUGH, I'm series!
It must be very hard to be a secular priest. So many of them seem to fall into an almost Episcopalian do-it-yourself kind of Catholicism and almost to define themselves by idiosyncrasy and disobedience. I guess there are probably myriads of faithful priests out there. One tends to hear more about the ones who are just such good guys and so down to earth, you know, that they decide, entirely out of generosity and compassion, you understand, that we lay people really don't have to seek after holiness.