From etb2: The Catholic Church has installed a new automatic confession service in Italy. Thanks Linda Ardigo.
This brings to mind another confessional performance piece, Portofess, by Joey Skaggs.
In July of 1992, as Father Anthony Joseph, a Dominican priest from San Bernadino, Skaggs peddled a confessional booth mounted on the back of a tricycle to the Democratic National Convention in New York City. Skaggs’ goal was to provide religion on the move for people on the go. A manifesto handed out to passersby stated, “The Church must take a more aggressive stance. The Church must go where the sinners are!”
Portofess appeared on TV and radio news and in hundreds of newspapers around the world. Father Joseph was featured on CNN, Fox TV, CBS and dozens of other news outlets including Reuters and Associate Press.
After several days of viral news coverage, a reporter called the Archdiocese in California to verify the Father’s identity. Unable to do so, the piece was declared a hoax. And none too soon from the good Father’s point of view. It’s really hard to find a place to park a portable confessional booth in New York City.