1. YOU WISH THAT CONFESSION WASN’T AVAILABLE SO CLOSE BY AT THE CHURCH JUST UP THE STREET, AS YOU WOULD RATHER BE REQUIRED TO TAKE AN EXOTIC PILGRIMAGE TO A DANGEROUS FOREIGN LAND IN ORDER TO HAVE YOUR SINS FORGIVEN.

2. YOU BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE CHARGED TO GO TO CONFESSION, AND THE CURRENT PRICE OF ZERO DOLLARS TO GO TO CONFESSION IS NOT FAIR TO THE CHURCH.

3. YOU BELIEVE THAT IT IS UNJUST AND TOO GENEROUS ON GOD’S PART TO LET PEOPLE GO TO CONFESSION AS MANY TIMES AS THEY WANT, AND YOU BELIEVE THAT CONFESSION SHOULD BE LIMITED TO ONCE A DECADE.

4. YOU BELIEVE THE VERSE WHERE JESUS GAVE HIS PRIESTS POWER TO FORGIVE SINS, JOHN 20:23, IS A MEDIEVAL FORGERY OF A WAYWARD BISHOP.

5. YOU BELIEVE THAT CONFESSION SHOULD TAKE LONGER THAN JUST A FEW MINUTES (YOUR SUGGESTION IS TWO HOURS).

6. YOU BELIEVE THAT CONFESSION SHOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE AT EVERY CHURCH IN THE DIOCESE BECAUSE THEN IT BECOMES COMMON AND UNEXCEPTIONAL.

7. YOU DON’T BELIEVE WE SHOULD CONFESS OUR SINS TO ANOTHER PERSON, AND YOUR PROOF TEXT FOR THIS BELIEF IS JAMES 5:16 WHICH SAYS “CONFESS YOUR SINS TO ONE ANOTHER.”

8. YOU BELIEVE THE PENANCES GIVEN OUT BY PRIESTS ARE EXTRAORDINARILY LIGHT, AND YOU WOULD MUCH PREFER MANLY MORTIFICATIONS OF A SOMEWHAT IMPRESSIVE NATURE.

9. YOU BELIEVE THE CONFIDENTIAL SEAL OF THE CONFESSIONAL MAKES YOUR SINS TOO SECRETIVE, AND YOU WOULD PREFER EVERYONE TO KNOW ALL YOUR SINS.

10. YOU WOULD PREFER NOT TO HAVE ALL YOUR SINS FORGIVEN AND YOUR SLATE WIPED CLEAN.

Note: The basis for this note comes from Father Faber, who suggests with irony that perhaps people would be more interested in confession if the Pope made the sacrament more difficult to obtain as in having to travel to a foreign land after first completing extraordinary penances. It has been reported that Pope Francis goes to Confession approximately every two weeks. Photo courtesy of Adam Smith.