‘Listening centers’ planned for Pope Leo Spain visit

Confessionals will not be set up during a youth prayer vigil and other events of Pope Leo’s trip to Spain next month, while “listening centers” will be available for young people who wish to speak with lay pastoral workers dispatched as “listening agents.”

But a spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Madrid, which is organizing the visit, told The Pillar that the listening centers are not meant to replace confession, which is available in the city’s parishes and churches.

Meanwhile, sources close to the trip’s planning told The Pillar that some organizers had proposed installing confessionals, but the idea failed to gain traction among archdiocesan planners.

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In a May 19 press conference, Madrid’s archdiocesan communications director Sara de la Torre said that the listening centers were thought of especially for “young people, who will be received by a group of listening agents prepared especially for this task.”

De la Torre told The Pillar May 19 that the listening centers do not diminish the need for the sacrament of confession, but are meant to serve as a complement.

“Thankfully in Madrid we have 476 parishes in which people can receive the sacrament of reconciliation and that