Amazon, these nuns who "hear confessions"

Andrea Tornielli

"We are here in each of these places. What do we do? Well, what a woman can do too: we accompany indigenous peoples in different events; when the priest can not make a presence and there must be a baptism, then we baptize. If there is a possibility that someone wants to get married, then we also make a presence and witness to the love of that couple. And often we had to listen in confession, we did not give absolution, but deep in our heart, we said – with the humility that this man, or that this woman is approaching us because of illnesses and near death – we believe that God the Father is also acting there. "

These are the simple and direct words of Sister Alba Teresa Cediel Castillo, Missionaries of Mary Immaculate and Saint Catherine of Siena, who lives in Colombia in indigenous communities. The history of the religious describes the situation and the difficulties encountered in the Amazonian villages and the fact that, on some occasions, couples swear to be faithful to the marriage pact in the presence of the religious when the priest is missing . And there are people – at the end of their lives or in difficult situations – who, unable to confess the priest who is not there, turn to the nuns and trust them with sins committed. It is obvious that the sisters can not give absolution: they are aware of not being able to administer the sacrament of penance and even the people who trust them know it. But they can listen and pray. The sisters know that they can not celebrate weddings, but they can attend.

A few years ago, speaking of confession during an interview on mercy, Pope Francis explained: "It is Jesus who said to his apostles:" Those who forgive their sins will be forgiven; those who do not forgive, no, they will be forgiven. "Therefore, the apostles and their successors – the bishops and the priests who collaborate with them – become instruments of God's mercy. To act in person Christi. It's very beautiful This has a deep meaning because we are social beings. If you can not discuss your mistakes with your brother, make sure that you can not talk about them even with God, and so you end up confessing yourself in front of the mirror in front of you. We are social beings and forgiveness also has a social aspect, because humanity, my brothers and sisters, society, are also hurt by my sin. "

"Confessing before a priest – the pope added – is a way to put my life in the hands and in the heart of another who, at that time, acts in the name and on behalf of Jesus. It's a way to be concrete and authentic: to look at reality by looking at another person and not reflecting in a mirror. " And on this concretion to turn concretely towards another and not towards a mirror, Francisco had remembered: "Saint Ignatius, before changing his life and understanding that he must have been a soldier of Christ, had fought of the Battle of Pamplona. He served in the army of King Charles V of Spain, and faced the French army. He was seriously injured and thought that he was dying. There was no priest on the battlefield at that time. So he called one of his comrades, confessed to him and told him his sins. The companion could not absolve him, he was a layman, but the need to face each other, at the time of the confession, was so felt that he decided to do it. It's a good lesson. A lesson that continues.