Wednesday, May 28
Liturgical Color: White
Today St. Bernard, a 10th century priest,
is remembered. He ministered to the
people in the Alps, aiding stranded
travelers and pilgrims passing through to
Rome. The St. Bernard dog breed is
named after him for his efforts.
May a priest later repeat something he has learned in confession?
No. Under no circumstances. The secrecy of the confessional is absolute. Any priest who would tell another person something he had learned in the confessional would be excommunicated. Even to the police, the priest cannot say or suggest anything.
There is hardly anything that priests take more seriously than the seal of the confessional. There are priests who have suffered torture for it and have gone to their deaths. Therefore, you can speak candidly and unreservedly to a priest and confide in him with great peace of mind, because his only job at that moment is to be entirely "the ear of God".
What are the positive effects of confession?
Confession reconciles the sinner with God and the Church.
The second after absolution is like a shower after playing sports, like the fresh air after a summer storm, like waking up on a sunlit summer morning, like the weightlessness of a diver ... . Everything is contained in the word "reconciliation" (from a Latin verb meaning "to bring back together, to restore"): we are at peace with God again. (YOUCAT questions 238 & 239)
Dig Deeper: CCC section (1467-1470) and other references here.