Roman Catholic leader Jorge Bergoglio, also known as Pope Francis, recently nominated over 1,000 priests to be “super confessors” and forgive sins that only top level officials would normally claim authority to forgive. As the Vatican has declared 2016 as being the “Jubilee Year of Mercy,” the pontiff selected 1,142 priests that he dubbed “missionaries of mercy” and sent them out to receive confession from those who had committed especially grave sins in the eyes of the Roman Catholic Church.
According to reports, such sins include plotting violence against the pontiff, defiling communion, violating the secrecy of a confession or the ordinating a bishop without authorization. Francis spoke to an estimated 700 of his selected “super confessors” on Tuesday as he provided them instruction on the day before Ash Wednesday. He stated that some have come to avoid going to confession because priests chastise others for their sins or pry for details about their transgressions. READ MORE
