‘Repent, confess, but cover your mouth’

MANILA, Philippines — How do you confess your sins in the time of COVID-19?

You can write down the sins and hand the paper to the priest; masks are essential for both priest and penitent.

The Archdiocese of Caloocan is urging the Catholic faithful to wear face masks if they opt to have their confession and participate in the “Kumpisalang Bayan” during Lent as church leaders draw up measures to prevent the spread of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19). 

Caloocan Archbishop Pablo David said in a statement that both the penitents and priests should wear masks inside or outside the confessional box. 

He said penitents can also confess by writing their sins on a piece of paper and handing this to the priest after saying, “Bless me, Father for I have sinned.” 

“During confessions, whether inside the confessional box or outside, both priests and penitents are advised to wear protective masks. Ideally, the penitent brings his/her own mask. Parishes should be ready to provide for those unable to bring their own,” David said. 

“After reading their confession, the minister may ask the penitents some questions thereafter, give some admonition, recommend acts of penance and give absolution verbally. The priest gives them back their notes for proper disposal afterwards,” he said. 

On the manner of receiving communion, David said that the Catholic faithful can still do the traditional way of accepting it directly on the tongue or by hand, but said that “on both instances, people just have to be instructed properly.” 

David also said that on Ash Wednesday (Feb. 26), to avoid physical contact, church officials are considering just sprinkling dry ash on the top of a penitent’s head instead of the usual practice of daubing ash with holy water on a person’s forehead. 

He said “the crown of the head would be more ideal for the sprinkling of dry ashes than the top of the head” and that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has endorsed “no touching, no kissing” of the cross for veneration on Good Friday.   

David had issued several measures in a bid to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 during the Lenten season where thousands of Filipino faithful are expected to gather in all churches in Caloocan City. 

In another development, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas urged the faithful to refrain from clapping or applauding inside the Church, whether within the liturgy or after mass. 

“Let us revisit these so-called motives for clapping in the Church. When we clap at an ordination mass after the calling of the candidate, the applause is a sign of consent with the calling that has just been done,” Villegas said in a statement. 

“The clapping is not for the ordinand, but for the Lord who calls. This is not the case with many of our applauses in the church,” he added. 

Villegas questioned if clapping inside the Church in the middle of a homily or after it has become an antidote of boredom, which may emerge “from a misunderstood sense of worship and prayer.” 

He said the priests can prepare a brief and inspiring homily instead of clapping as a means of keeping the faithful alert and awake and avoid naming persons to appreciate their work for the Church when giving a post communion message. 

He also reminded priests not to clap after mass.