Pope goes to confession in public

Pope Francis surprised congregants at a penitential service at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Friday last week by going to ­confession in public. His short confession, to one of the many priests on duty in St Peter’s, marked the first time a Pope has been ­photographed receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation in public. Afterwards he went to a confessional and heard confessions from members of the public for about 40 minutes. Pope Francis had just preached at the penitential service, part of an initiative to promote the sacrament called “24 hours for the Lord”.