Gemeinschaftliche Aspekte der Feier des Sakraments der Versöhnung

The sacrament of reconciliation faced a crisis in the past decades. Many Catholics refuse clerical control of their own conscience, experience the sacrament as formal and legal, and cope with the difficulty in thinking about guilt and sin at all. The article argues for the renewal through the emphasis on the communal, liturgical, and celebrative dimensions of the sacrament. Because every sin has effects on the community, the communal dimension must be included also in the process of reconciliation. The Church as a community should show solidarity with her daughters and sons and accompany and support sinners on their way to conversion. The article proposes that, in addition to individual practice of confession, also the communal celebrations of reconciliation are needed. Many sins go beyond the purely individual framework and have a social and ecological character; that is why we need also to celebrate reconciliation as a community. Our rich tradition and the current practice of the Eastern Churches can serve as an inspiration and guide on the way of renewal.