The confessionals are empty. The sinners have gone away. Or should I say, “sin has gone away.”

Is Confession Dead?

By Terence K. O'Leary

The confessionals are empty. The sinners have gone away. Or should I say, “sin has gone away.” Not to be judgmental, but rather to be observant, I sense poignantly a lack of what I would call “sin awareness” among modern Catholics. We seem to have assimilated the secular notion that the concept of sin places outdated, even psychologically damaging restraints on people, or that the feeling of guilt for wrongdoing (or wrong-thinking) is emotionally debilitating. Thus, we see in society the virtual elimination of the word “sin.” We don’t want to hurt anybody’s self esteem. Catholics, perhaps innocently, have bought into this nonsense.

Cohabitating young adults are seen going to communion with apparent impunity. Our children are taught in public school health classes that masturbation is “normal” (as if a mathematical average equals absolution). They are told that abortion is a legitimate medical procedure, as if “medical” means okay. Some adults with decades-long resentments against others apparently have no problem allowing these self-destructive feelings to fester and to ignore the basic Christian concept of unconditional forgiveness.

Our young appear to have almost universally adopted the idea that pre-marital sex is acceptable. Pro-choice Catholic politicians take the sacraments in a blatant display of hubris, arguing ignorantly that abortion is a matter of conscience. Football fans cheer when a member of the opposing team has his head nearly separated from his body. Marriage seems in many cases to be about as serious as “going steady” was when I was in high school. And on and on.

Our pope is emphasizing the need to welcome the disaffected and to affirm them as Catholics.


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