"Penitents must find in the priest the Father they do not see". This was stated by Monsignor José Mª Yanguas, bishop of Cuenca, in the School of Theology of the University of Navarra, on the occasion of his participation in the Course of update Pastoral 2017 : "The pastoral care of the sacrament of reconciliation: experiences and proposals.".

In his exhibition, Monsignor José Mª Yanguas spoke on "Mercy and penance" and recalled the words of Pope Francis on the importance of priests being a reflection of God's mercy: "It is about welcoming the faithful like the father in the parable of the prodigal son. Confessors must manifest the joy of having found that son who returns home".

The meeting was held on September 19 and 20 and was attended by more than two hundred people from nine different Spanish dioceses: Malaga, Murcia, Madrid, Seville, Pamplona, Castellon, Burgos, Almeria and Santiago de Compostela.

The sessions were closed on Wednesday at noon by Angel Rodriguez Luño, Dean of the School of Theology of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Rome), with a lecture focused on "The conscience of the penitent". In his exhibition , he opted for an ethics in the first person, where beauty and attractiveness prevail over an "ethics of obligation".

In addition, Monsignor Francisco Pérez, Archbishop of Pamplona, presided over a Eucharistic concelebration with 60 priests participating in the Course. The ceremony took place at the seminar Bidasoa International on Tuesday afternoon.

Throughout the various sessions, useful ideas and suggestions were offered on how to bring the faithful closer to the sacrament of penance in the context of parish pastoral work. In addition to the opening and closing presentations, there were four round tables with discussions on pastoral topics: "How to bring the sacrament of reconciliation closer to the faithful", "How to organize the celebrations", "The experiences of the confessor" and "Psychological and juridical aspects".