VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - An Italian magazine report which sought to prove that what some priests tell Catholics in the confessional is not always what the Church preaches in public has enraged the Vatican.

To write the cover story in this week's L'Espresso, reporter Riccardo Bocca visited 24 churches in five large Italian cities and confessed sins he never committed or invented ethical dilemmas for the priest.

In one confessional in Naples he told the priest he felt guilty over his father's death after the family allowed a doctor secretly to detach a respirator. The father had for years been paralysed, confined to a bed and unable to breathe autonomously.

Although euthanasia is officially condemned by the Church, the priest told him not to worry too much because God would be the ultimate arbiter.

"If I had a wife, a father or a son who for years was alive only because of artificial life support, I would pull the plug too," said the priest, who then gave him absolution.

In another confessional box he faked being HIV positive and was told by a priest that whether or not he used a condom in order not to pass the virus to the woman he loved was "a very personal matter of conscience".

The Church teaches officially that abstinence and monogamy -- not condoms -- are the best way to stop the spread of
AIDS.

The author said the article was a piece of investigative reporting, but the Vatican reacted with scathing vehemence.

NO DISRESPECT

An editorial in the Vatican's newspaper, l'Osservatore Romano, said the report had "profaned" the sacrament of Penance, also known as Reconciliation, in the name of "an ignoble scoop".

"Shame -- there is no other word to express our shock over something that is disgusting, unworthy, disrespectful and particularly offensive," the newspaper said.

Bocca said it was not his intention to show disrespect for the Catholic church or its sacraments.

"What I wanted to show was the difficulties facing these priests as they try to carry out their duties in good conscience," he told Reuters. "The differences I found were shocking even to me."

On homosexuality, one priest told him: "Well, homosexuality is a tendency which is a valid human expression. There are even homosexual priests and lesbian nuns."

Asked if he should openly declare his homosexuality, the priest told him: "Generally the best thing to do is to be yourself. Come clean. Do what the English call 'coming out'."

The Church teaches that homosexuality is not a sin but homosexual acts are.

Apart from abortion -- which all 24 priests unanimously condemned -- he received conflicting advice on moral issues such as divorce, stem-cell research and prostitution.

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I applaud the reporter. The Vatican should be more mad at it's failing figure heads then a reporter who sheds light on it. Just goes to show that the faith can't stand up to human morals.

I applaud the priests for using their own personal morals in decisions and for proving that the church does not brainwash them

i agree

But what does that prove of independent thought in the privacy of a (allegedly) inviolate confessional to one person at a time!? When what they speak outside of that, to the whole public, makes them the representatives of mother church. And when they speak other than that in private, puppets of the program, otherwise. And in these cases, confessed hypocrites as well.

I use to make up fake confessions when I was forced to go to confession at my catholic high school...good times.

I have a very close friend that use to do the same thing. And they attended all 12 years in catholic school. They would even make wagers among the group of friends that made a game of it, to see who's confession could make the priest bluster or blush. I can just see that. There sits a 12 year old and the priest is stuck to the ceiling on the other side of the screen. Thinking; So young, sooooo busy!

There was a young girl who went to the confessional she said Father forgive me for I have sinned. The priest asked her what she had done. She explained that she went too far with the boyfriend on Saturday night once before dinner then again after dinner. Then again before the movie, and later that night after the movie.
He told her to go right home and squeeze the juice of 5 lemons into a glass and add 4 oz. of vinegar and drink it down while reciting the rosary. She said thank you father will that give me absolution?
He said “NO, but it will wipe that silly grin from your face!”

Irish

I'm a lapsed Catholic and dont attend Church anymore...nor my Kids ,i've never made them ...But i see this as the height of Disrespect ...all Catholics know that priests will give the best advice pertaining to that situation ...it's a great quality in Priests if they all took the official line on everything there'd be even fewer going to church.
My sister was married to a guy who used to beat the sh** outa her ...Our local priest told her "get rid of him quick ....he's a bastard and he'll never change" he was right and this made him a better priest in our families eyes...the official line would be to stick with him.
This priest just showed he's human and understands day to day life better than the Cardinals and Bishops who are "usually" aloof to the day to day struggles of life.
What this reporter did was totally out of line and showed huge disrespect both to the church and the priesthood...............I'd like to see the same guy do something similar to the Muslims...he'd get more than a rebuke