Latest news with #SacramentofReconciliation
Herald Malaysia
23-05-2025
- General
- Herald Malaysia
Focusing on Jesus and hope beyond the prison
Easter 2025 brought profound spiritual meaning and joy to inmates across nine prisons within the Diocese of Penang. May 23, 2025 Msgr Henry Rajoo with the faith sharers and Deputy Director of Penjara Seberang Jaya after the Easter celebration at Jawi Prison. By Chan Lilian Easter 2025 brought profound spiritual meaning and joy to inmates across nine prisons within the Diocese of Penang. For the first time in several facilities, the celebrations included not only Mass and Confession, but also the deeply moving and humbling ritual of the washing of feet. This powerful gesture brought many to tears, stirring hearts in unexpected and transformative Jawi Prison, Msgr Henry Rajoo, accompanied by ten faith sharers from the Penang Diocesan Prison Ministry (PDPM), led a heartfelt Easter celebration. The inmates — referred to as prospects — were visibly moved during the Sacrament of Reconciliation, as hymns of repentance resonated through the hall. Many were especially touched by the song As I Have Done for You, a powerful reminder of Jesus' boundless love and the washing of the feet, a PDPM faith sharer explained in Bahasa Malaysia: We are here today to remember the final days of Jesus Christ. When the priest washes your feet, remember that Jesus also knelt to wash His disciples' feet in love and humility. God loves you that much. So, pray for strength and hope — not only for yourselves but for your families too.'Msgr Henry delivered his homily in English, Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin, and Tamil, ensuring every one of the fifty Christian and Catholic inmates could fully receive the message. His words of hope rang clear and true: 'If you focus only on your struggles, nothing changes. But if you focus on Jesus, everything changes. Jesus gives you a new beginning. He was crucified but is risen. He is our Hope — and hope does not disappoint.'The Easter celebration concluded with a joyful rendition of Yesus Bangkit Soraklah and a warm 'Easter Share-A-Meal' with the inmates. They were treated to a delicious spread of nasi tomato, ayam masak merah, traditional kuih, and more — generously provided by the Penang Diocesan Prison Ministry (PDPM).Adding a special touch, lovingly handcrafted herbal soaps from the Church of the Risen Christ, the Church of St Anthony in Nibong Tebal, and the Chinese CEC children of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit were presented to prison officials for the inmates' Masses were also celebrated throughout April and May in several other facilities, including:Taiping Prison (Perak); Kamunting Prison (Perak); Arau Correction Centre (Perlis); Tapah Prison (Perak); Penang Remand Prison; Batu Gajah Prison (Perak); SP Juvenile Prison (Kedah); Alor Setar Prison (Kedah), and Pokok Sena Prison (Kedah).For the past ten years, the Penang Diocesan Prison Ministry (PDPM) has journeyed weekly with inmates across Perlis, Kedah, Penang, and Perak — bringing the light of Christ into places often marked by darkness. Having celebrated their 10th anniversary in June 2024, the ministry is now preparing for the Jubilee of Prisoners in November 2025, trusting in the Lord to continue guiding their mission of love, healing, and transformation. PDPM extends its heartfelt gratitude to the Malaysian Prison Department for its support and collaboration in making the Easter celebrations possible. Together, they remain steadfast in their commitment to walk alongside inmates, offering hope, dignity, and the promise of a life beyond the bars.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Catholic Church to excommunicate priests for following WA law requiring child abuse confessions to be reported
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways The Catholic Church announced that priests will be excommunicated if they follow a new Washington state law requiring clergy to report confessions about child abuse to law enforcement. "Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession — or they will be excommunicated from the Church," the Archdiocese of Seattle said in a statement. "All Catholics must know and be assured that their confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential and protected by the law of the Church." "The Catholic Church agrees with the goal of protecting children and preventing child abuse," the statement added, noting that it "remains committed to reporting child sexual abuse, working with victim survivors towards healing and protecting all minors and vulnerable people." The new law — signed by Democrat Gov. Bob Ferguson last week — added "members of the clergy" to a list of professionals who are required to report information that relates to child abuse or neglect to law enforcement, and the measure does not provide an exception for information offered at a confession booth. Doj Investigating 'Anti-catholic' Washington State Law Requiring Clergy To Report Child Abuse The Catholic Church announced that priests will be excommunicated if they follow a new Washington state law requiring clergy to report confessions about child abuse to law enforcement. Priests in the Catholic Church have been bound by the absolute seal of confidentiality, an obligation that requires them to keep anything learned in confession a secret. Read On The Fox News App The Archdiocese of Seattle said its policies already require priests to be mandatory reporters unless the information is received during confession. "While we remain committed to protecting minors and all vulnerable people from abuse, priests cannot comply with this law if the knowledge of abuse is obtained during the Sacrament of Reconciliation," its statement said. Utah Bill Would Protect Clergy Members When Reporting Child Abuse To Police Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the bill into law last week. The U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division has opened an investigation into the law for possible violations of the First Amendment's religious protections. "SB 5375 demands that Catholic Priests violate their deeply held faith in order to obey the law, a violation of the Constitution and a breach of the free exercise of religion cannot stand under our Constitutional system of government," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division said. "Worse, the law appears to single out clergy as not entitled to assert applicable privileges, as compared to other reporting professionals," she continued. "We take this matter very seriously and look forward to Washington State's cooperation with our investigation." The U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division has opened an investigation into the law for possible violations of the First Amendment. The bill will go into effect on July 26. Washington is one of just five states that does not explicitly or implicitly require clergy to report suspected child abuse or neglect, a federal report shows, according to Fox 13. Most states exempt information obtained through confession from mandatory reporting, but Washington now joins just a handful of states that do not provide such exemptions. "This new law singles out religion and is clearly both government overreach and a double standard," the Archdiocese of Seattle said. "The line between Church and state has been crossed and needs to be walked back. People of every religion in the State of Washington and beyond should be alarmed by this overreach of our Legislature and Governor." Original article source: Catholic Church to excommunicate priests for following WA law requiring child abuse confessions to be reported
New York Post
07-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Catholic Church vows to excommunicate priests who follow new Washington state law requiring them report confessions to cops
The Catholic Church has vowed to excommunicate any priest who follows a new Washington state law requiring clergy to report information about child abuse to law enforcement — even if given in the privacy of a confession booth. Priests in the Evergreen State had enjoyed something similar to attorney-client privilege when hearing confessions, but the new law — which Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson signed on Friday — revokes that protection for discussions of child abuse or neglect. The Catholic Church vowed to excommunicate any priest who follows a new Washington state law requiring them to report information about child abuse to law enforcement — even if given in the privacy of a confession booth. Emanuele Capoferri – Democratic Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the new law on Friday — and it's now being probed by the DOJ. AP Catholics have vowed to put church over state. 'While we remain committed to protecting minors and all vulnerable people from abuse, priests cannot comply with this law if the knowledge of abuse is obtained during the Sacrament of Reconciliation,' the Archdiocese of Seattle said in a statement. 'Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession — or they will be excommunicated from the Church,' it added. Advertisement The Department of Justice is investigating the law for possible violations of religious freedom under the First Amendment. 'SB 5375 demands that Catholic Priests violate their deeply held faith in order to obey the law, a violation of the Constitution and a breach of the free exercise of religion,' said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. Ferguson, however, is not backing down. 'We look forward to protecting Washington kids from sexual abuse in the face of this 'investigation' from the Trump administration,' he told KIRO 7.
Irish Times
26-04-2025
- Irish Times
Sorry seems to be the hardest word - but there's much value in the honest introspection of Confession
I was late for my first day of law school and said sorry to the professor. 'Never apologise,' he bellowed, offering what he seemed to believe was sage advice. He was a pipe-smoking, practising barrister who wore musty-tails even in the lecture theatre. He wanted to make an example of me. 'Any apology in the legal profession can be detrimental to your case,' he said. Four years later, having practised as a solicitor in Dublin and Cork, I left that profession to pursue a career as a documentary film-maker. But my very first lesson from the Law Society always stuck with me. Given how litigation touches every aspect of life - business, politics, education, religion - it seemed the mantra 'never apologise' was central to everything. With the introduction of social media and the erosion of good journalism to hold people to account, this is only getting worse. You don't need to look far to see the pandemic of gaslighting on every news network, Oireachtas committee or tweet. Degrees in obfuscation are fully subscribed. READ MORE Several years ago, I was sitting in a church watching my son make his first Confession, as most kids still do in Ireland at age 7 or 8. My reaction was to wonder why we are still asking our children to confess their sins to a priest who represents a church body not exactly transparent when it comes to its own sins – probably for legal reasons. [ Voyeuristic priests used Confession 'in an erotic way, drawing out people's dirty stories' Opens in new window ] And yet, part of me was deeply moved with the priest's homily on the prodigal son: the humility of his returning home, the power of admitting fault and the beauty of forgiveness. As my son quietly recited his misdeeds to the confessor, I began to see the Sacrament of Reconciliation as the perfect prism through which to explore the broader theme of honest introspection in the modern world. So I set out to capture 15 priests around Ireland - those people who still hear confessions of others – and interview them in front of their own Confession box. To my surprise, all immediately agreed to sit for an interview. They said the sacrament of Confession and witnessing the mercy of God often sustained their lives as priests. I also learned that the practice of Confession has its origins in Ireland. Before Norman invasions, the Brehon Law system, developed in Celtic times, was rooted not in retribution, but in restitution. Public acknowledgment of wrongs was central. Offenders were expected to admit their guilt, offer compensation to the victim and seek forgiveness. The logic was that an offence affected not only an individual but their family and status within the community. Righting wrongs was key to restoring honour – which sounds far more progressive than any modern legal system. [ The Omagh Hum: The low-frequency drone drove locals to distraction. It also led to this charming documentary Opens in new window ] When Christianity arrived in Ireland in the 5th century, early Irish monks blended these local legal traditions with Christian theology, seeing the value in a structured admission of guilt and making amends, which mirrored Christian ideas of sin, confession, penance and forgiveness. In addition to compensating victims, the idea extended to spiritual restitution between the sinner and God. This synthesis was so successful that Irish monks later exported it across Europe, where it became an official sacrament. 'I entered the confession room and asked the priest if I could sit face-to-face with him and lay out every aspect of my life where I fell short of loving others or living like Jesus. The list was long' But the priests I interviewed often lamented how far the institutional church had drifted from these values. Concealing sins became more common than admitting them. Gaslighting replaced repentance. 'Loyalty is a great human trait,' says Fr Iggy O'Donovan in Fethard, 'but misplaced loyalty can do great damage and certainly in the institutional church, we had misplaced loyalty because above all, we were taught to avoid scandal, and the way to avoid scandal was to keep things hushed up – abuses of various sorts.' It was no wonder that the numbers going to Confession dwindled to 'almost nothing', as Fr Stan Mellet in Ballyfermot told me. It's hard to ask others to confess when you're not willing to do so yourself. Still, I was intrigued. As I continued my journey around Ireland, filming priests and reflecting on this ancient rite, I learned the difference between a true, authentic confession and the rote recitations most of us gave at age seven or eight. I decided that, at the end of the production, I would go to Confession myself, something I hadn't done since I was the age of my son. [ The emotional texture of an Irish wedding: Nerves, giddiness, joy, banality Opens in new window ] I sat in the pew in Clarendon Street Church, just off Grafton Street in Dublin, as I awaited my turn. I looked around, half-considering an escape, but stayed put. I entered the confession room and asked the priest if I could sit face-to-face with him and lay out every aspect of my life where I fell short of loving others or living like Jesus. The list was long. The priest was gentle and understanding and he offered me absolution. I left feeling lighter. And when I arrived home late that evening, I did what that pipe-smoking law professor told me never to do - I apologised and made amends. Alex Fegan is director of Sins of Ireland, which is currently in cinemas nationwide
