Newsday

Catholics return to confession focused on grace, not a get-out-of-hell-free card

The Lenten period for penance started this week with Ash Wednesday, and some Catholic priests are happily bracing for long lines outside the confessional. The faithful across the United States are ...
National Catholic Reporter

Is confession dead? Q&A with a Catholic historian on the state of the sacrament

In October 2025, Washington state agreed to withdraw a controversial mandate compelling priests to report allegations of sexual abuse specifically revealed during the sacrament of confession. The bill ...
National Catholic Reporter

Over centuries, Catholic confession has evolved from public confession to private penance

The 1953 Alfred Hitchcock film "I Confess," based on an earlier play, features a priest suspected of murder. He's innocent, and has even heard the murderer's confession — but cannot clear his own name ...
The Conversation

From public confession to private penance: How Catholic confession has evolved over centuries

The 1953 Alfred Hitchcock film “I Confess,” based on an earlier play, features a priest suspected of murder. He’s innocent, and has even heard the murderer’s confession – but cannot clear his own name ...