It's not like we actually needed confirmation that Pope Benedict XVI follows this blog. 

But on the heels of another scandal, the Holy Father underscores the centrality of repentance and forgiveness as the antidote to sin . . . and he actually used the "s" word which has fallen into a lack of use as of late. 

Scripture teaches that "the compassion of the wicked is cruel."  Indeed, those either inside or outside the Church who cast depravity - whether general or specific - as a condition, disease, or irresistible impulse, rather than sin - are cruel in their false compassion as they slam the only door of deliverance.

Catholic News Agency reports:

The Holy Father urged, "it is necessary for priests to live their own response to vocation 'exaltedly,' because only someone who daily becomes a living and clear presence of the Lord can arouse a sense of sin in the faithful, give them courage and stimulate their desire for forgiveness from God."

There is a necessity for priests to return to the confessional, Benedict XVI emphasized, to ensure that the people "find mercy, counsel and comfort, feel loved and understood by God and experience the presence of the Divine Mercy, alongside the real Presence in the Eucharist."

The Holy Father also touched on the "crisis" of participation in the Sacrament of Penance. He said that this lack of repentance is "an appeal addressed first and foremost to priests and to their great responsibility to educate the people of God in the radical demands of the Gospel. In particular, it calls on them generously to dedicate themselves to hearing sacramental confessions, and courageously to guide their flock not to conform itself to this world, but to make choices that go against the tide, avoiding deals and compromises."

Read the rest of the article here.

What more appropriate message could we consider during this Lent than to "experience the presence of the Divine Mercy."

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