Does First Holy Confession place an “unnecessary burden on young kids”? 

As tens of thousands of children prepare to make their First Confession, the Catholic Church argues it is an essential part of the formation of their faith and helps them learn right from wrong. 

Many also think that making a confession can be cathartic and often serves as a form of therapy. 

Newstalk’s Simon Tierney rejects those arguments and believes the practice is in fact “insidious”. 

“Don’t get me wrong, I am in support of encouraging children to examine their conscience to a certain level of healthy introspection,” he told Newstalk Breakfast. 

“My concern is the First Confession institutionalises guilt. 

“I suppose, what I mean by that is it kind of says to very young kids, who probably shouldn’t be under this formalised burden that if you do something wrong, you go to a sort of miniature court of arbitration, you say sorry, you carry out your sentence and you’ll be absolved so long as you tell your private thoughts to a man - and only a man. 

“My worry is this leads to a lifecycle of constantly seeking contrition, that if you do something questionable, even if you have maybe a bad or impure thought that you have to apologise for it.” 

A priest saying mass at a church. Image: robertharding / Alamy

Simon continued that he worries this all means that children grow up feeling guilty about too many things. 

“I came across the archdiocese of Dublin guide for parents around the First Confession,” he said. 

“It says, ‘Encourage your child to say sorry often’ - I don’t think that’s good guidance.” 

He added that parents should consider whether a priest is the best person to decide whether a child has been bad and how badly they should be punished. 

“We don’t need the formalised process of going in and speaking to a man - and only a man - to get absolution, to feel that your unburdened,” he said. 

“It just doesn’t make sense to me; First Confession is where this guilt is first forged and I think we’re placing an unnecessary burden on young kids. 

“I also think that the confessional, it’s a sort of method of moral control, that if your actions don’t align with what the Catholic Church thinks, then you’re sentenced in the form of Hail Marys and Our Fathers.” 

Main image: A Catholic Priest and a child. Picture by: Myrleen Pearson/Ferguson Cate/Alamy.com