The San Francisco call., 1898-06-03
CONFESSION AND
 ITS HORRORS Father Yorke Battles Against Ignorance. THE CONFESSION AS IT IS SHOWS MANY ABSURDITIES OF GENERAL BELIEF. Explains the Mission and Duties of the Priest and the Po-
 sition of the
 Penitent-
THE CONFESSION AS IT IS
SHOWS MANY ABSURDITIES OF
 GENERAL BELIEF.

The horrors of the confessional was the somewhat novel and interesting subject of the Third District Lecture, under the auspices of the Catholic Truth Society, delivered last evening at Metropolitan Temple by Father Yorke.
 The lecture was broad and minute dis cussion and definition of the confessional as 1t really is, and others represent it. The contention of Protestants generally that the confessional is purely an institu- ton called into existence by the clergy of the Catholic Church for the purpose of obtaining the private and family secrets of the laity was eloquently refuted and the absurdity of the belief, declared by the speaker, who made citations from nearly every book of the Bible
 The very theme of the Bible" said the lecturer, lis based on the confessional which teaches that the only possible means of satisfying for sin is through the blood Of Jesus Christ. God is infinite, and being such, demands an infinite satisfac- tlon. This. man alone, cannot do; but through the mercy and goodness of God Tn sending His Son, the second person of the Blessed Trinity, the means of obtain Ing forgiveness has been granted him through the blood of the Savior The mere redemption of sin by the death of Christ Kingdom of Heaven, it simply opens the gates, the entrance to which comes through the confessional and absolution
 'Protestants speak of the confessional as horrible trap where the priests enter one door, the penitent another, and by a base jugglery the sinner is sent and turned out the opposite side saint. When Catholics who are not versed in their re- ligion are confronted with the question, How can a priest do this-how can he forgive sin? they are at a loss for an an swer. The reply Is simple: Who said that he could and when was 1t said?' The priest is given the power to either forgive or retain sin, as the representative of Christ, and consequently must be a judge. In order to judge, 1t Is absolutely necessary for the sinner to confess. Al though the priest has been given power to confess sins, he has not been given the powers of a mind reader, and when sin ner kneels before him he must confess his sins aloud. Confession is simply made by telling the name and character of the sin and the number of times committed, and is, therefore, mere personal list of transgreSsions without any mention of circumstances leading up to them or the mention of names. It is not necessary, as non-Catholics generally believe, that man must tell everything he has done since the last time he went to confession, naming all his family affairs and the names of those who were associated or were instrumental in his committing the sin. Neither names nor circumstances are ever mentioned, and are never asked by the priest unless they cnange the na- ture of the sin. Family affairs need never be mentioned, and the priest is none the wiser of a persons family or private at- fairs.
 ''Non-Catholics may not acknowledge the practice of the confessional, but in The Catholics, dictated by the teachings of the Bible. claim that all deadly sin must be confessed. and why? Because 1t is a commandment of Jesus Christ.
 Catholics who go to confession and live up to their religion know and under stand all these things, but those of other character of the confessional look upon it as a horror and an internal machine, seeing in it an engine of the devil invent ed for the purpose of fostering priest
 Tn conclusion I would claim that through nineteen centuries the confess ional has been means of grace When we confess our souls to God we have the physical exultation, strength and relief that come to us through Him and Him alone. It is a flag to which we can all tions that Jesus Christ has given us"
 AS a prelude to the lecture Father Yorke outlined the work of the Catholic Truth Society. at the camp, of the national troops at Richmond and the hopes of the society in affording the Catholic boys at the camp a means of obtaining the sac grounds in the near future. A tent Is already being pitched on the grounds which the lecturer remarked with pride Is the largest there.
 Religious services, which have been held at camp for the past two Sundays, will be continued. and mass will be said in the morning. Priests will be in camp every day and will minister to the wants of soldiers. An appeal was made to Cath olics generally for aid in helping defray the expense of conducting the services and distributing Catholic literature among the soldiers. Articles of all kinds can be given to the boys through the me- dium of the society by sending them either to the Flood building or to the la dies at camp.
 Father Yorke, approximating the num- Der of Catholic soldiers in the First Regi- ment, emphasized the following statistics in order that there would be absolutely not the slightest possibility of their being as grossly exaggerated as those appear ing under his name in the past
 Tn the First Regiment that left San Francisco" he said, ''seventyfive per cent of the men were Catholics They had a Catholic chaplain to accompany them. In the other regiments the per centage was smaller. In some companies there are only a few Catholics. while in others they form perhaps half. In the whole army the percentage is greater than that for the general population. Out