In the long list of the hagiography of Christian saints, the name of St John Vianney, whose feast the Catholic church celebrates every year on August 4, stands out prominently as the patron saint of priests. John Vianney shot into prominence for his untiring zeal and patience to sit in the confessional for 16-18 hours a day, endearing himself to the thousands who stood in long queues to unburden themselves of their sins and encounter God’s mercy and compassion in the confessional.
Such was the power of John Vianney where an estimated one fifth of the population of France would be drawn to the tiny village of Ars. Unfortunately, what we witness today is a turnaround from the past and a departure from the sanctity of the divinely ordained sacrament of reconciliation.
The failure by today’s priests to emulate the example set by their role model is one of the reasons why there is so much controversy these days over the behaviour of priests in the confessional and the call to abolish confessions to safeguard the faithful.
A F Nazareth, Alto Porvorim
