“Thank you for being in the confessional,” pope tells priests

Pope Francis visited the “Holy House” in Loreto on Monday, the home that tradition says is the place where Mary lived in Nazareth.

At the shrine, he mentioned the ministry of Capuchin priests in being available to hear confessions.

“They are good, these Capuchins!” he said. “Always in the confessional, always, to the point that you enter the Shrine and there is always at least one of them there, or two or three or four, but always, during the day and at the end of the day, and this is a difficult job. They are good and I thank them especially for this precious ministry of the confessional, continued throughout the day. Thank you!”

The pope has often repeated his exhortations for the faithful to take advantage of the sacrament of confession and for priests to make God’s mercy present there.

In his apostolic exhortation The Joy of the Gospel, he reminds us: “God never tires of forgiving us.”

Read more:
‘How truly difficult it is to let ourselves be loved!’ Read the pope’s moving message before confession