Nelson said that 40 years ago he would conduct confessional sessions with one or two other priests on Saturdays for four hours. People would line up the length of the church to confess mostly sexual indiscretions - use of birth control or masturbation. They would kneel behind a screen to speak to the priests. After the sexual revolution, all that changed. While he used to hear 200 people on Saturdays, now he hears confessions from only four to eight people.
People probably come to confession once or a few times a year, when they used to come once a week.
They now have a choice of sitting in a chair facing him or kneeling behind a screen. People come in when their hearts are hurting. Maybe a child is drug-addicted or they are experiencing depression or anger and rage has taken over. The beauty of confession, Nelson said, is that people can pour out their hearts because they know that it is safer to tell their priest than it is to tell their doctor or lawyer. Doctors' and lawyers' records can be confiscated, while your confession to a priest is not recorded in any form, Nelson said.