Leather Belt

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In his controversial book, Vatican Diaries, John Thavis mentions some pious practices of Pope John Paul II which caused a lot of stir among his supporters who were pushing him to be a saint barely five years after his death, which was a canonical exception. Based on the reports of some Polish nuns who were tasked to change his bed sheets, clean his room and dust his wardrobe, they often heard groans from the bedroom of the pope, as though he was being painfully castigated. Indeed, the nuns saw what was unusual, the pope lashed himself with a leather belt, practically inflicted himself those wounds. People asked how come the pope inflicted on himself those wounds. I am definitely sure the pontiff had his reason for such unique penitential practices. Penitential acts are “medicinal penalties” imposed on sinners. When the Holy Father castigated himself, he wanted to be ascetically liberated, discipline his senses and, perhaps, and most likely, to counter his libido. I wonder what are your penitential acts during the Holy Week?