FOR this Holy Week, all priests in the Archdiocese of Cebu were given authority to absolve “grave sins” confessed to them by penitents.
Under canon law, this special faculty is reserved for bishops, who can pardon very serious offenses such as abortion and attempted suicide.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said he granted this privilege to priests in the archdiocese “in the spirit of mercy and compassion.”
“For the Holy Week, those who come to priests with certain grave sins can be assured of pardon. I have given all the priests the privilege to absolve all sins,” said Palma in an interview.
Cebu has three bishops: Palma, Antonio Rañola and Emilio Bataclan.
Today and tomorrow, priests will spend longer time than usual in church where extra confession booths are set up for parishioners.
It is an obligation for Catholics to go to confession at least once a year as part of their “Easter duty”.
Palma said he wants to make sure that many of the faithful will be able to avail of the sacrament of reconciliation so they would be in a “state of grace” when they attend Mass and receive Holy Communion.
“We, priests, need to search for those who are lost, for those who have distanced themselves from the Church. We need to reach out to them,” Palma said.
According to Catholic tenets, confessing one’s sins enables the penitent to get absolution by a priest, who stands in the person of Jesus Christ.