I've known a few priests who would berate the penitents. There was one priest, whose name I'll withhold, who could be heard outside the confessional yelling in a loud voice "That's disgusting." so loud that half the Church could hear it. Unfortunately, there are some like that out there, who show little of mercy and compassion but are harsh and will berate the penitent in very arrogant and condescending way. I found that incident a borderline/indirect violation of the Confessional seal.
I remember in my younger days, we had an older traditional priest, one of those priests whom you can tell just by looking at him was incredibly pious. He emanated sanctity.
When you would confess certain sins to him, he would pause for a long time, give a deep sigh and ask you “Why did you do that?”
I remember being afraid to go confess to him but in retrospect I really appreciated his approach. Rather than simply sending me on my way with a simple penance, I was forced to think about why I had committed the sin. I miss him and still pray for him.
Topic: SSPX -- kindest confessors (Read 15746 times)