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Sars stops confessions
09/04/2003 08:27 - (SA)
Singapore - Catholic churches in Singapore are putting confessions on hold until the Sars outbreak is controlled, after nine deaths and 118 infections from the lethal disease, instructions from the archbishop said on Wednesday.
Instead of hearing individual confessions, priests at the 30 churches will grant a "general absolution", said Archbishop Nicholas Chia.
Confessions, during which Catholics disclose their wrongdoings to priests, are usually conducted in a small room or confessional for privacy.
Catholics are traditionally encouraged to confess their sins in the run-up to Easter Sunday on April 20.
Special services to prepare Catholics for Easter celebrations will go on.
"There will be prayers, hymns, but instead of confessing your sins individually, priests will ask the congregation to ask for forgiveness in their hearts and pronounce a general absolution," the archbishop told The Straits Times.
The church took measures earlier to contain the spread of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) by stopping the holding or shaking of hands during mass and having the faithful receive the wafer on their palms instead of on the tongue.
Chia said once the outbreak is over, those who have committed grave sins should head for the confessional. - Sapa-DPA
- SAPA
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