Pope Tells Cath. to Increase "Cath. Guilt" during Holy Week; It's a Sense of Remorse and Repentance for One's Sins

 In his first major liturgy for Holy Week, Pope Francis offered an extended reflection on the spiritual underpinnings of so--called "Catholic guilt," a concept associated with an almost compulsive need to feel overly guilty for any perceived offense, the Crux website reports.

The roots of this concept come from an ancient tradition in Christianity called "compunction," meaning a sense of remorse and repentance for one's sins which for centuries has been a source of reflection by the Catholic Church's most celebrated minds, many of whom are saints. 

Pope Francis dedicated his homily for the March 28 Chrism Mass in St. Peter's Basilica to a healthy living compunction, which he said is not an "obsession" with feeling unworthy, but a genuine acknowledgement of wrongdoing and sorrow for its repercussions.