He called this out as "self-deceit" and proclaimed the necessity of "responsible action in a bold venture of faith" from followers who truly confess Christ with our whole lives.
In Roman Catholicism, penance is a sacrament and the power to absolve lies with the priest, who can grant release from the guilt of sin to the sinner who is truly contrite, confesses his sin, and promises to perform satisfaction to God.
"If I'm reading a book and it seems truly interesting," Shields confesses, "I tend to start reading back to front in order not to be too deeply under the sway of progress". What he wants is distilled wisdom, and he's no longer willing to trudge through 700 pages to find it.
In the inversion of societal norms we have an opportunity to laugh at these embarrassing aspects of the human condition, to remind each other of what is truly important, to confess shortcomings, and release judgement.
The annulment reform comes just a week after Francis made it easier for women who have had an abortion to receive absolution if they are truly contrite and confess it to their local priest during the church's upcoming Holy Year of Mercy, which starts in December.
Yet, in 1994, Romney confessed to what truly happened over 40 years ago: "I was not planning on signing up for the military," he said.
Now 68, Piet Oudolf confessed to only feeling truly free in his work about five years ago, when he realised that your freedom as a designer is restricted only by your knowledge.
(Um. Really?) Brett, a truly talented pianist and 3-D computer modeller, confessed, via a tablet, his confusion.
He confessed: "Without sounding sappy, it was truly a special moment.
