Whatever happened to confession? Catholics' relationship to the sacrament of reconciliation reflects changing mores.(CONFESSION)(Cover story)

National Catholic Reporter | February 9, 2007| | Copyright

A sacrament's history in the church

A look at the history of the sacrament of penance reminds us that it has not always taken the same shape. The early church practiced public penance, an experience that Christians usually had only once in their lives, either at the time of their conversion or just before death. Private aural confession emerged in Ireland first, then spread to the rest of Europe in the sixth century. The idea that believers might seek forgiveness repeatedly and on a regular basis did not become common until 200 years after that. Annual confession was not ...

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