Soon-to-be Cardinal, the confessor who apologised to Jesus for forgiving too much

By Andrea Tornielli

Even if he was the last on the list, he certainly was not last in Pope Francis' heart.

Announcing the list of new cardinals who will receive the red hat in the 30 September Consistory on 30 September,  the Holy Father finished the list with the name of an elderly Franciscan friar, who, since retiring in 2007, has been living in the soundproof confessional of the sanctuary of Our Lady of Pompei in Buenos Aires.

He is Brother Luis Pascual Dri, a Capuchin, born in Federación, Entre Ríos province, Argentina, on 17 April 1927, in a family where all but one of the children consecrated themselves to God in the religious life.

Pope Francis spoke of him several times.

The first time was on 6 March 2014, when he met the parish priests of Rome. He repeated the example a few months later, on 11 May 2014 in the during his homily for the Mass for priestly ordinations. He returned to cite him in the book-interview "The Name of God is Mercy", then did so once again in February 2016 during the homily in St Peter's with the Capuchin friars, and in the recent meeting with the priests of Rome at St. John Lateran and with the Jubilee confessors.

When speaking about confession and receiving penitents in the confessional, Pope Francis' thoughts always go to him.

Pope Francis: 'I remember a great confessor'

"I remember a great confessor, a Capuchin father, who exercised his ministry in Buenos Aires. Once he came to meet me, he wanted to talk. He said to me: 'I come to ask you for help. I always have so many people in front of the confessional, people of all kinds, humble and less humble, but also many priests.... I forgive a lot, and sometimes a scruple comes over me, the scruple of having forgiven too much.'"

"We talked about mercy, and I asked him what he did when he felt that scruple. He answered me in this way: 'I go to our little chapel, in front of the tabernacle and say to Jesus: 'Lord, forgive me because I have forgiven too much. But it was you who gave me the bad example!'" This, I will never forget. When a priest lives mercy on himself like this, he can give it to others."

Seven years ago, we went to look for him at the shrine dedicated to the Virgin of Pompei in Buenos Aires. There were very few people, it was a rather sultry afternoon. Only one confessional was open, a monk in a Capuchin habit was waiting inside, among white soundproofing panels resembling those of an old radio studio. It was him.

Why the Pope quotes him

He told us why the Pope quoted him so often.

"I, all things considered, am, I won't say scrupulous, but let's say a little concerned in confessions. When he was a cardinal here in Buenos Aires, I confided in him often. I would go and talk to him and once I confided all this to him. He told me: 'Forgive, forgive, you have to forgive'. And I: 'yes, I forgive, but then I am left with a certain restlessness and that is why afterwards, I go to Jesus and tell Him that it was He who taught me, that He gave me the bad example, because He forgave everything, he never rejected anyone. You can see that these words struck Pope Francis, they stuck with him. He knows that I confess a lot, for many hours, in the morning and in the evening. And more than once, he has advised some priests, for some problem, to come and talk to me. I have listened to them and now we are great friends, with some of them coming often, we talk, and they get on very well, spiritually, pastorally."

"I must thank the Pope very much for this trust he has placed in me, because I do not deserve it. I am not a person, a priest, a friar, who has done studies, I have no doctorate, I have nothing. But life has taught me a lot, life has marked me, and since I was born very poor, I feel I must always have a word of mercy, of help, of closeness, for anyone who comes here. No one should leave thinking they have not been understood or despised or rejected."

In confessional until candles go out

The friar who spends every morning and every afternoon in the confessional, continuing "until the candles are consumed," had no particular advice to give his "fellow" confessors: "What the Pope says. I cannot say anything else, because I feel it, because I live it. Mercy, understanding, putting one's whole life into listening, to understand, to be able to put oneself in the other person's skin, to understand what is happening. We must not be, starting with myself, officials who just do something: 'Yes, I gave him absolution. 'Yes, no, and that's it.' Quite the opposite.

"'I think we must have a certain closeness, a special amiability, because sometimes there are people who don't know very well what confession is. 'Don't be frightened, don't worry'. Confession... the only thing it takes is the desire to be better, nothing else. You don't have to think with whom, or how many times, or that or the other. All these things don't help. I feel like they push the person away. And I have to make people come closer to God, to Jesus."

Cardinal-elect Luis Dri in his confessional in Buenos Aires

While to penitents, the friar who will now wear the red hat, always gave this advice: 'Do not be afraid. I always show this image, this picture representing the Father's embrace of the Prodigal Son. Because they ask me: 'But will God forgive me?'... God embraces you, God loves you, God walks with you, God came to forgive, not to chastise, He came to be with us, He left heaven to be with us. So how can we be afraid! It seems to me almost an absurdity, an ignorance, a wrong idea, about our Father God'.

The confessor, now Cardinal-elect, is a figure reminiscent of Father Leopoldo Mandic, who had the same attitude with people in the confessional. "Yes, yes, I know him well; I read his life and learnt a lot from him," Father Dri confided.

"I also learnt from Father Pio: I was with him in 1960. And all this taught me a lot. I was with Padre Pio, I went to confession with him, I was in the same convent in 1960. St Leopold and St Pio taught me so much, so many beautiful things about mercy, love, peace, tranquillity, closeness. Although Padre Pio was so strong, so energetic, when he had to listen and forgive, he was Jesus.'