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by Kaunteya Das

The major Italian weekly magazine “L’Espresso” has published a piece of investigative journalism on how Catholic priests handle their confessions; the Vatican became enraged at the disclosures (link to the article, written in Italian).

A journalist pretended to be a normal Christian follower asking the confessors for absolution from his sins, or rather asking if what he claimed to be doing was sinful. He visited confessionals—the booths where priests sit to hear confessions—in five major Italian cities, submitting tales of involvement in activities ranging from homosexuality to research into embryonic cells, from euthanasia to sex with minors, living with a woman without being married, abortion, taking cocaine, and even cheating on the accounts for monetary gains. What the article exposed is that often the confessors’ opinion and advice on the issues drastically differed from the official position of the Church. And this is probably what made the Vatican so furious, although they claimed outrage at the divulgation of exchanges that should have remained confidential, sacredly secret in their sacramental status.

by Kaunteya Das

The following article talks about a survey done by Christians in the UK, where people expressed their dissatisfaction with their pastors compromising attitudes. Something to think about, when the temptation comes to water down the message of purity of the Srimad-Bhagavatam ("Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhagavata Purana propounds the highest truth" SB 1.1.2). We need to resist the tendency to propound unauthorized concessions to anything that actually robs the soul of the eternal glory of spiritual love.