IRELAND
Washington Post
August 21, 2018
By Siobhan O’Gracy
No pope has visited Ireland since 1979, when millions of faithful Catholics came out to see Pope John Paul II. Around a million people turned out for a public papal Mass during that trip, and a 116-foot-tall steel cross was erected in Dublin’s Phoenix Park for the occasion.
Now, with Pope Francis scheduled to visit Ireland this weekend, some pranksters have built a different kind of massive structure to welcome him: a drive-through confessional close to the same park, where Francis will celebrate Mass this weekend.
Confession, or penance, is one of Catholicism’s most important acts, in which Catholics confidentially admit their sins to a priest to seek forgiveness. Paddy Power, an Irish bookmaker known for staging elaborate and sometimes controversial stunts, is trying to speed up the process of escaping eternal damnation with the drive-through confessions.
“Ireland has changed a lot since the last Pope’s visit – gay marriage is legal, we’ve repealed the Eighth Amendment, and even secretly cheered for England in the World Cup,” a spokesperson for Paddy Power told The Sun. “With decades worth of sins clocked up since then, we’re providing a convenient means to complete your contrition with your keys still in the ignition.”
A promotional video for the gaudy confession booth describes it as the “ultimate drive-in confession booth before the big man gets here.”
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