Amazonia: the women religious
who "hear confessions"
The first briefing of the Synod hears about the experience
of women religious in villages where priests visit very rarely. We cannot give
absolution, they say, but we think of the comfort we bring that person.
By Andrea Tornielli
"We are present everywhere and we do what a woman can
do by virtue of her Baptism: we accompany the indigenous people, and when
priests cannot be present, we perform baptisms. If someone wants to get
married, we are present and we witnesses to the love of the couple.
We have often had to listen to confessions, but we have not given absolution.
In the depth of our hearts, though, we have said that with the humility with
which this man or woman approached us because of illness, or because they were
close to death – we believe God the Father intervenes there".
These are the simple and direct words spoken by Sister Alba
Teresa Cediel Castillo, of the Missionary Sisters of Mary Immaculate and of St.
Catherine of Siena, who lives in Colombia among the indigenous communities. She
describes the situation and the difficulties experienced in villages in the
Amazon, and the fact that sometimes there are couples who swear allegiance to
each other in a marriage pact in the presence of the women religious when there
is no priest. Then there are people at the end of their lives, or in difficult
situations, who cannot make their confessions to a priest, because there isn’t
one. These people too turn to the women religious and confide in them the sins
they have committed. Obviously, the sisters cannot give absolution: they know
they cannot perform the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and the people who trust
them know it as well. But they can listen and they can pray. The sisters know
they cannot celebrate weddings either, but they can attend them.
A few years ago, speaking of confession during an interview
on mercy, Pope Francis explained: "It was Jesus who said to his Apostles:
‘Those whose sins you forgive will be forgiven; those whose sins you do not
forgive will not be forgiven’. Therefore, the Apostles and their successors -
the Bishops and priests who collaborate with them - become instruments of God's
mercy. They act ‘in persona Christi’. This is very beautiful. It has a
profound meaning, because we are social beings. If you can’t talk about your mistakes
with your brother or sister, you certainly can’t talk about them with God
either, so you end up confessing to the mirror, in front of yourself. We are
social beings and forgiveness has a social aspect as well, because humanity, my
brothers and sisters, society itself, are wounded by my sin”.
"Confessing before a priest”, added the Pope, “is a way
of putting my life in the hands and heart of another, who at that moment acts
in the name, and on behalf of, Jesus. It is a way to be concrete and authentic:
to face reality looking at another person and not being reflected in a mirror”.
With regard to turning concretely to another and not to a mirror, Pope Francis
recalled the story of Saint Ignatius: “Before changing his life and
understanding he had to be a soldier of Christ, Ignatius fought in the battle
of Pamplona. He served in the army of the King of Spain, Charles V of Habsburg,
and faced the French army. He was seriously wounded and thought he was dying.
There was no priest on the battlefield at that time. So Ignatius called one of
his comrades, and confessed his sins to him. The comrade could not give him
absolution because he was a layman. But Ignatius felt the need to be face to
face with another at the moment of confession so strongly, that this is what he
decided to do. It's a good lesson”.
It’s a lesson that continues.
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