Pope Francis: confession on demand

As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis emphasized a pastoral concern for the poor and the role of the laity, according to an Opus Dei priest in Buenos Aires who once directed Vatican Information Service.

The Pope “always saw the people who live in the slums from a different point of view” from promoters of liberation theology, said Father Pedro Brunori.

After discussing the Pope’s simple and direct leadership style and willingness to delegate, the priest also spoke of the Pope’s willingness to hear confessions.

“More than once, someone would call him up and say, ‘I’m sick, I need a priest to say Mass for me,’” Father Brunori recounted. “He’d tell them not to worry, I’ll take care of it, and he’d go to say the Mass himself. Sometimes he’d bring another priest, while he heard confessions. For him, confession is about the mercy of God. There are a lot of parishes in Buenos Aires, and they sometimes don’t have enough priests to hear confessions. Quite often, he would go and do it himself, while a priest celebrated the Mass. He would also go to hear confessions in the slums.”

--http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=17512