Priests flock to Skycourt Shopping Centre in Co Clare to absolve the sins of the many

Bread? Tick. Milk? Tick. Save my soul from eternal damnation... Tick.

Bringing Confessions of a Shopaholic to a whole new level, 16 priests will shortly be on hand to absolve the sins of the many at the Skycourt Shopping Centre in Co Clare.

No, this isn’t a Waterford Whispers article. Absolution genuinely is on the market thanks to Shannon parish priest Fr Tom Ryan.

The holy man said his ‘Mercy on the Mall’ idea was inspired by Pope Francis’s call for priests to “go to the marketplace and proclaim the story of God”.

So, while Jesus may not have been all right with traders buying and selling in the temple, the other way around is fine, apparently.

Fr Ryan has organised for 16 clergymen to be available in different locations throughout the centre to hear confessions from 1pm to 6pm on December 8.

Members of the public are invited to sit down for “a confession, a chat, a blessing, or a prayer”.

After conveniently confessing your sins in the supermarket, some parishioners might even go so far as to say their penance during their weekly pilgrimage through the aisles in search of holy essentials such as water, wine, and vinegar. Multi-tasking at its finest.