• PASTORAL LETTER TO THE FAITHFUL OF THE SHERBROOKE ARCHIDIOCESE •

A little over two years ago(April 2002), John Paul II delivered the apostolic letter Misericordia Dei to the churches of the world. The Holy Father envisioned «giving an immediate new impulse to the sacrament of reconciliation». The letter does not pretend to be a document of theological reflection on the entire reality of the sacrament of reconciliation; rather it is an analysis of certain aspects of the celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation.

There are two elements in this letter that entail the greatest pastoral implications :

In other words, collective absolution as we have practiced it in our diocese and elsewhere in Quebec and in other parts of the world can no longer be maintained.

The shock felt by the faithful and by the priests is great. And it is understandable. For nearly thirty years, the practice of collective absolution has been widespread. As I wrote in a recent letter to the priests, the positive effects of such a pastoral practice cannot be overlooked. The celebrations have been carefully prepared, the approach to forgiveness has been set and experienced in a context of great hope and even of joy, and the biblical roots of reconciliation have been made very clear. And the practice of this form of the sacrament has helped to create a climate of inner calm among penitents which was a comfort for those who had been victims, at one time, of excessively severe attitudes on the part of some confessors.

The Church is now asking us to change our previous pastoral practice and to emphasize individual confession or community celebration with individual absolution. We are all aware of the implications of such a change in our practices. If the Holy Father is asking us to take this step, it is in order to renew the sacrament of pardon which has a tendency to be deemed useless by a world which has lost its sense of sin. Giving a new impulse to the approach to the sacrament is, without doubt, a chance to open ourselves to a privileged expression of divine mercy.

My dear members of the diocese, we have to change the practice to which we have become accustomed. By placing more importance on the individual celebration and the community form with individual absolution, we are rejoining the mainstream of the universal Church. The Holy Father has spoken in its name, and he has also spoken in the name of all the churches, everywhere in the world, who are trying to welcome God’s mercy by using a sacrament that is so rich in grace. Whit our previous practice, we achieved some very beautiful things. By returning to a more individual approach and to a community approach with individual absolution, we are giving a new sense to what we have been doing.

I want to encourage you not to reject the productive achievements of the past, but to pursue greater ones in the future. It would be desirable to continue to develop a community form of preparation for the sacrament with individual absolution. It is a question of having a formula that will keep the communal dimension that was so much appreciated in our former practice.

Early next year, we will propose training approaches adapted to the new situation we are entering. Together, pastors and faithful, we will find the best ways to live out, in an authentic fashion, the Christian experience of reconciliation.

If the Holy Father insists so strongly on a celebration with individual absolution, it would be a good idea to examine his reasons. As is usually the case, there are undoubtedly theological, sacramental and psychological reasons. It is in moments like this that we are invited to deeper reflection and to move towards clearer understanding.

In our diocese, after the appearance of Misericordia Dei( 2002), some of the faithful, in one parish, studied the apostolic letter They presented it to their local parishioners. It seems that it was welcomed in peace and that the penitential celebrations with individual absolution were conducted to the satisfaction of the people. We could undoubtedly take the same approach in each of our communities.

At this point, we are in the process of digesting the contents of the Holy Father’s letter. We will have to go farther both to understand it better and to fit it into the numerous invitations concerning the sacrament of reconciliation that we have received going back to Paul VI.

It should also be noted that this reversal does not put into doubt the forgiveness of any sins that the faithful presented to our Lord during our former services. Divine mercy is not constrained by the forms we use to express the state of our souls.

In conclusion, I want to repeat what I wrote a few weeks ago (October 2004) : The sacrament of forgiveness will never be easy to swallow. It demands so much from a person that that one would be tempted to dispense with the form of the sacrament, its features, and the difficulties that are inherent in its very nature.

May our Lord grant us the illumination of His Spirit in order that we may welcome the graces that this sacrament can provide.

Andre Gaumond, Archbishop of Sherbrooke