Vatican reveals 'secrets of worst sins'

The Apostolic Penitentiary or the "tribunal of conscience", responsible for issues relating to the forgiveness of sins in Roman Catholic Church, has been shrouded in secrecy ever since it was established in 1179.

Now, in an effort to present a more transparent image and encourage more people to make confessions, the Vatican's most secretive tribunal has revealed how the Catholic Church deals with the worst sins divulged in the confessional.

In fact, the tribunal held a two-day conference in Rome to discuss the purpose and inner workings of Apostolic Penitentiary which was established by Pope Alexander III.

"Even though it's the oldest department of the Holy See, it's very little known - specifically because by its nature it deals with secret things," The Daily Telegraph quoted tribunal's Bishop Gianfranco Girotti as saying.

While priests and bishops can deal with confessions of sins as grave as murder or even genocide, the tribunal is reserved for crimes which are viewed by the Church as even more serious.

They include attempting to assassinate the Pope, a priest abusing the confidentiality of the confessional by revealing the nature of the sin and the person who admitted to it, or a priest who has sex with someone and then offers forgiveness for the act.

In fact, they are considered so heinous by the Roman Catholic Church that only the Pope can grant absolution to the people who perpetrate them.

However, another type of case that comes before the tribunal involves a man who directly participates in an abortion - even by paying for it - who then seeks to become a priest or deacon.

"That is an irregularity and it means he should not receive the ordination without a dispensation from the Pope," tribunal's head Cardinal James Francis Stafford said.