Churches across Ireland have shut their doors to help curb the spread of coronavirus, but one priest has found a novel way of ensuring his p...
Churches across Ireland have shut their doors to help curb the spread of coronavirus, but one priest has found a novel way of ensuring his parishoners can still get their sins off their chests.
A snap of a Dublin priest offering confessions in a car park has sent Twitter into meltdown, after he set up two chairs - at a safe two metre distance apart - under a cross.
He leaned forward to listen intently while a woman in a pink coat sat opposite him, confessing her sins outside St Mark's Church in Tallaght, South Dublin.
Twitter users were left in stitches, with many saying the scene was 'straight out of Father Ted', which followed the lives and misadventures of three Irish priests living in the same imaginary parish.
Pictures have emerged on Twitter showing a priest from Dublin holding social distancing confessions in a car park
Twitter was left in stitches as the pictures showed the priest talking to a woman sitting at a safe distance
The unnamed priest is offering two confession sessions a day, between 11am and 12pm and again in the afternoon from 3pm to 4pm.
Another sign at the bottom signlaled that social distancing would be in place, encouraging people to stay two metres away from each other.
In another snap, the priest can be seen sitting alone in the car park waiting for his next confession.
A snap showed a priest listening carefully to the confession of a woman by a wooden cross in a public car park
On Twitter, people found the snaps particularly amusing at a time where all religious assemblies have been banned and places of worship closed until further notice.
'You could call that " Social Distance Sins"... I'll get my coat,' one joked.
Some also poked fun at the inconvenience of the distance between the woman and the priest, with one pointing out: 'Would make a great sketch, shouting your confession.'
Meanwhile, in another snap, another priest could be seen patiently waiting for his next confession
Some people found the idea hilarious, while other noted that it could help people that were religious to feel comforted during lockdown
Some observed that while strange, the scene could bring comfort to some religious folks on lockdown.
'Ok ... this looks funny but in these strange times if this provides comfort for some in a safe environment then I would say well done,' one wrote.
'Whether your religious or not, that kind of thing is what makes Ireland great. No wonder we are all craiced,' said one.
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