Confession Of Guilt Research Articles

Analysis of the practice of application of Article 114-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Unauthorized dissemination of information on the sending, movement of weapons, armaments and ammunition to Ukraine, movement, movement or deployment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine or other military formations formed in accordance with the laws of Ukraine, committed under martial law or a state of

The article analyzes the practice of consideration of cases under Article 114-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which provides for liability for unauthorized dissemination of information on the sending, movement of weapons, armaments and ammunition to Ukraine, movement, relocation or deployment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine or other military formations formed in accordance with the laws of Ukraine, committed under martial law or a state of emergency. During the monitoring of court decisions posted in the State Register of Court Decisions for 2022 and 2023, 112 guilty verdicts were identified and analyzed, which were delivered by courts between March 24, 2022 and December 31, 2023 (except for those verdicts where information is prohibited for disclosure). During the analysis of the guilty verdicts, it was found that most of the persons were convicted under Part 2 of Article 114 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and Part 3 of Article 114-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The author also examines what information was most often disseminated. The author identifies the most typical forms of active actions as a sign of the objective side of the crime, the peculiarities of their commission, the most common methods and tools of crime and qualifying features. Based on the analysis of the verdicts, a number of conclusions are drawn about the typical motives for this crime and the identity of the perpetrator, the presence/absence of sincere remorse, and the confession of guilt. Certain trends in sentencing of perpetrators are identified. In particular, it is noted that in 2022, courts actively used the institute of release from serving a sentence with probation (57% of convicts), but in 2023, 70% of perpetrators were sentenced to «real» imprisonment. As a result of the generalization, the author outlines the most typical criminal law features of this crime. In order to clarify the peculiarities of the offender’s portrait, the data from the report «On Persons Who Committed Criminal Offenses» for 2022-2023 were analyzed. In particular, the number of persons identified under Art. 114-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, their structure by gender, age, citizenship, education, employment, presence/absence of a criminal record, and the peculiarities of the crime (committed in complicity, while intoxicated) are determined. Certain characteristics, such as a person’s place of birth, marital status, dependent minor children, and disabled parents, were identified through sentence monitoring. As a result of summarizing these data, the author outlines a portrait of the offender.

The Two Bodies of the King of the Jews

Starting from Santner’s essay “Freud’s ‘Moses’ and the Ethics of Nomotropic Desire,” the article explores a remarkably intriguing and simultaneously debatable statement made by Sigmund Freud regarding the accusation of the murder of God as a central Christian source of anti-Semitism. This investigation leads into the differentiation between two bodies of the King of the Jews: Jesus Christ and Jesus Barabbas, through which early Christians not only distanced themselves from political messianism (“Barabbas”), but also assumed a political culpability, acknowledging their own responsibility for Jesus’ crucifixion. In doing so, they distanced themselves from those who neither acknowledged nor confessed a shared culpability, thereby designating them as the “Jews.” This demarcation from political guilt serves as the foundation for a “politics of guilt” in the form of a demarcation from “Judaism.” This gave rise to Christian anti-Judaism, which Freud ultimately traced back to the distinction between acknowledgment and non-acknowledgment of guilt in his book Moses and Monotheism. Drawing on the dimension of preserving communal unity through the confession of guilt, this article proposes that the Christian model of collective guilt confession should not be simply understood as a desire to liberate oneself from the superego pressures, as, according to Santner, a “spiriting away of spirits and specters.” Instead, it can be comprehended as a novel means of preserving a community through the exclusion of those who do not join in the declaration of guilt.

ADMISSIBILITY OF CONFESSION UNDER INDIAN EVIDENCE ACT, 1872

In Indian criminal law, confessions are defined by the 1872 Indian Evidence Act. Confessions of guilt have legal implications. The Act classifies admissions as judgemental, out-of-court, and retracted. Judgemental confessions are admissible, whereas extrajudicial confessions are examined for pressure. Retracted confessions are carefully reviewed and may need third-party verification. Coerced, forced, or promised confessions and law enforcement confessions are illegal. Voluntary confessions protect the accused's identity. Mind, confession, and accused rights awareness determine voluntariness in court. Legal balance between law enforcement and private liberty ensures confession voluntariness in India. Other states prohibit forced confessions less strongly than the Indian Evidence Act. Unique to India, the Act forbids police confessions. Torture is defined, investigated, compensated, and punished under the 2017 Prevention of Torture Bill. It must be narrowed to balance law enforcement and freedoms enjoyed by individuals. Law enforcement and personal liberty deal effectively with detainee admissions. The Indian police and judge approach confessions differently to avoid prisoner torture and coercion. Section 25 of the Indian Evidence Act forbids police admissions for wrongdoing and power imbalance. According to Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, magistrate confessions are voluntary and honest. Courts consider the confession's conditions, medical records, and the accused's education, social status, and mental health. Criminal confession retraction affects trial evidence and poses admissibility and evidentiary value questions. Retracted confessions are less trustworthy than uncontested ones, thus courts must closely check them before convicting. If followed, procedural and technological flaws do not invalidate confessions, but Section 164 noncompliance does.

Analysis of Judges' Considerations in Cases of Murder Based on Infidelity

This study discusses the judge's consideration in deciding the criminal case of murder based on infidelity based on the judge's consideration of Article 338 of the Criminal Code Decision Number 88/Pid.B/2022/PN. The research uses normative juridical methods by examining primary and secondary legal materials. The results showed that the judge's consideration included both juridical and non-juridical aspects that influenced the final decision. The defendant is considered accountable for his actions, taking into account various factors such as the confession of guilt, the defendant's attitude in the trial, and previous legal experience. In addition, the defendant's actions and their impact on victims and society are also important factors in the judge's deliberations.

TINJAUAN YURIDIS KEKUATAN PEMBUKTIAN KETERANGAN YANG MEMUAT PENGAKUAN BERSALAH DAN HASIL CEK URIN TERDAKWA DALAM PERSIDANGAN TINDAK PIDANA PSIKOTROPIKA (Studi Kasus Pengadilan Negeri Makassar Tahun 2010-2020)

Title Juridical Review The Power of Proof Information Containing Guidance and Results of Urine Check The Defendant in action Trial Psychotropic Criminal (Makassar District Court Case Study From 2010 Until 2020). Superviced by Syamsuddin Muchtar and Nur Azisa. This study aims to determine (1) the strength of proof of the guilty plea and the urine check result of the defendant in a criminal trial. (2) The defendant’s confession of guilt and the result of a urine check can become the basis for a judge’s judgement in deciding a psychotropic crime. This research is a type of normative and empirical research. Data collection techniques through field studies and literature, in this case direct interviews with related parties and collecting library materials relevant to this research. Furthermore, the data obtained was analyzed qualitatively, then presented descriptively in accordance with the explanation that is closely related to this research and then draw a conclusion based on the analysis carried out. The results of this study indicate that (1) the strength of proof of a confession of guilt can be material truth if it is supplemented by positive urine test results in the form of evidence from laboratory results or supplemented by other evidence based on the minimum provisions of evidence based on the minimum provisions of evidence according to the Criminal Procedure Code. (2) The defendant’s confession of guilt and supported by a positive urine test result forms the basis for the judge’s consideration in declaring that the defendant has been proven guilty of committing a psychotropic crime and this confession can be used as a basis for consideration.

Disputable Issues of a Plea Agreement Conclusion

The paper considers debatable issues that arise in the course of procedure under Ch. 40.1 of the Criminal effectiveness of the investigation of crimes that are difficult to prove. The main attention is given to the problem of determining the moment from which it is possible to conclude a plea agreement. According to the author, if the provision of information about the possibility of concluding such an agreement does not depend on the status of the person at the current moment of the proceedings (suspected or accused), then the very conclusion of a plea agreement should be possible only after the preliminary investigation conducted under the general rules and without any exceptions in the evidentiary activity and after justified charges are brought. At the same time, the charges brought against the person in the event of a plea agreement must remain unchanged. The author answers the question whether the confession of guilt by the accused is a prerequisite for concluding a plea agreement, or whether it is only necessary to obtain his consent with the prosecution, as provided for in Chapter 40 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation. It is concludes that since the confession of guilt by the accused is an integral part of the consent with the charges, both an confession of guilt and an agreement with the accusation should be mandatory conditions of a plea agreement. A plea agreement is a deal between the prosecution and the defense, which must be concluded strictly after the charges are brought. It is necessary to amend the current structure of the criminal procedure rules by excluding such a potential participant in the conclusion of a plea agreement as a suspect from Ch. 40.1 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation.

The Road to Reconciliation—Insights from Christian Public Theology

Once primarily situated within religious contexts, reconciliation has since become an established concept in peace and conflict studies. The exact meaning of this concept remains disputed. This contribution takes the sometimes heated debates one step back as it seeks to return to the roots of the religious dimensions of reconciliation in order to shed light on its meaning and use for peace and conflict studies today. Using Christian Public Theology as a framework, the author delineates several hallmarks on the road to reconciliation. While the metaphoric “road to reconciliation” must not be misunderstood as a linear progression with a predictable result, it does indicate that certain milestones are likely to be encountered on this path. These include remembrance, repentance, confession of guilt, forgiveness and justice. As the author draws out the religious dimensions of these concepts, a deeper understanding of the meaning of reconciliation emerges.

Wegmarken einer Theologie der Versöhnung

Abstract The establishment of numerous truth and reconciliation commissions worldwide in states in transition processes has helped the concept of reconciliation gain increasing attention, not only in political discourses. This article then sketches out, from a theological-ethical perspective, the milestones of a theology of reconciliation, including remembrance, repentance and confession of guilt, forgiveness as well as justice and reparation.

СОГЛАШЕНИЕ О ПРИЗНАНИИ ВИНЫ КАК ГАРАНТИЯ ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЯ ПРАВ ЛИЧНОСТИ В УГОЛОВНОМ ПРОЦЕССЕ

The article analyzes the issues of determining and concluding an agreement on admission of guilt, regulating relations to simplify the criminal process, protecting the interests of the individual in the framework of criminal proceedings. The author analyzes the positive experience of the United States, as a country where the institution of plea agreement is already widely used, and the possibility of applying this experience in the conditions of the Republic of Uzbekistan. It is argued that the consent of the suspect or the accused is not enough to conclude an agreement on the confession of guilt, and the will of the prosecutor as a party to the agreement is also necessary, since it is the latter that is indicated in the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan as a subject with such powers. However, in order to ensure a balance in the framework of criminal proceedings and the protection of individual rights in criminal proceedings, in order to make the plea agreement legal force, it is necessary to involve a third party who could verify the admissibility of concluding such an agreement. The role of this third party that can influence the outcome of the agreement is the court, which is vested with the authority to approve or refuse to approve the agreement. The author, analyzing the experience of the United States, notes that in the future it is possible that an agreement on admission of guilt will take the parties in a completely different direction, since they seek to settle a criminal case by simplifying the procedure when an innocent person is ready to admit and conclude an agreement, rather than spend resources on acquittal.

TACTICAL COMPONENTS OF THE PROSECUTOR’S ACTIONS TO CONCLUDE A PLEA AGREEMENT FOR THE ACCUSED

The article is devoted to the study of certain tactical aspects of the he prosecutor’s participation in the conclusion of an agreement on the confession of guilt by the accused. It is concluded that it is necessary to develop a system of forensic recommendations regarding the provision of this direction of the prosecutor’s activity in court proceedings. It is stated that the institution of criminal procedure has appeared in Ukraine based on agreements, that is, a mechanism with separate contractual (compromise) elements during the resolution of criminal legal conflicts, which belongs to the so-called special orders of criminal proceedings. It is noted that, in contrast to the sufficient attention of scientists to the issues of procedural regulation of criminal proceedings based on agreements, the tactical aspects of the activities of the prosecutor almost get out of sight of scientific research, which is in no way consistent with modern challenges of combating crime. It has been established that the activities of the prosecutor to conclude an agreement on the confession of guilt by the accused and his/her judicial approval are cognitive and organizationally diverse, requiring appropriate tactical support (provision). This support will be a new direction of tactical and forensic support of the so-called compromise procedures in criminal proceedings. It should contain recommendations, at least regarding localization of an unproductive conflict between the prosecution and the accused, as well as unpredictable compromises between other participants in criminal proceedings. It should contain recommendations the availability of adequate ways to convince the accused of the futility of his/her opposition to the prosecutor and the court and the need to cooperate with them based on feedback, taking into account the specifics of professional defense and a situational analysis of one or another variant of defense tactics. In the context of the prosecutor’s activities to conclude an agreement on the plea of the accused, the most relevant is the so-called negotiation tactics. In the mainstream of the analyzed subject, it would be more expedient to call it the tactics of prosecutorial persuasion and ensuring compromise procedures in the criminal process. Its constituent elements are a system of recommendations regarding the organizational, informational and resource-personnel support of the prosecutor’s activities to conclude an agreement on the plea of the accused in order to a) make it impossible for the relevant participants in the criminal process to formally treat their duties; b) prevent unpredictable compromises between the defense and the victim, as well as prosecution witnesses; c) promote exclusively objective media coverage of the real state of affairs (in conditions of journalistic interest in a specific compromise procedure). At least, this will already become the basis for the effective use of tactics of creating conditions for the preparation and direct conclusion of an agreement on the plea of the accused.

Buttressing Whiteness by Confessing Guilt and Rejecting Racism: A Study of White-Talk about Paid Domestic Labour

ABSTRACT This article makes a contribution to literature on “white-talk”. Existing literature shows how whiteness has been defended by criticizing black people, culture and government in subtle (and not so subtle) ways that allow speakers to deny racism. In contrast to denial, we focus on how white South Africans confess to feeling guilty for their privilege in comparison with their domestic workers. Confessions of guilt are ways of taking ownership of white privilege, while accountability is achieved by intragroup comparisons with whites whose standards and practices are not motivated by appropriate guilt. We conclude by reflecting on the costs of such confessions of guilt, namely in propping up whiteness and maintaining extant power structures.

Psychological Methods of Eliciting Statements. Personal Security Versus Data Objectivity

The article describes the way of conducting the perfect interrogation, with particular protection of suspect’s psychological comfort and protecting him from stress, in order to get the truth instead of the false confession of guilt. The elements influencing the professional and objective conduct of interrogations were presented, with special consideration given to flexibility of approaching a suspect and handling the given case. The paper also discusses forbidden interrogation techniques and describes the nine steps of an effective interrogation of F.E. Inbau, J.E. Reid and J.P. Buckley.

Confessions of a Criminal Psychopath: an Analysis of the Robert Pickton Cell-Plant

Police interrogation methods have changed over time. While traditional techniques relied on violence and physical torture, modern techniques have shifted toward psychological coercion and manipulation. These techniques, most widely known as parts of The Reid Technique, have proven to be a powerful way to elicit confessions of guilt from suspected criminals. Authors of the Reid Technique claim that when applied correctly, their methods lead to significant increases in police confession rates. But, these techniques are not universally useful. In addition to eliciting false confessions, the Reid Technique has been less effective on psychopaths—who are self-centered, manipulative, and lack empathy. Psychopaths can be resistant to these methods, which rely on the interrogator’s ability to induce fear, anxiety, and feelings of remorse in the suspect. When confronted with a criminal psychopath, interrogators face unique challenges requiring a different approach to interrogation. To show this, we analyze the cell plant video of an undercover officer who obtained a serial murder confession from Robert Pickton by appealing to his narcissism. We conclude by offering a few additional strategies that can be used by investigators when interrogating psychopaths.

From “a Theology of Genocide” to a “Theology of Reconciliation”? On the Role of Christian Churches in the Nexus of Religion and Genocide in Rwanda

This paper explores the role of a specific religious actor, namely Christian churches, in the nexus of religion and genocide in Rwanda. Four factors are identified that point to the churches’ complicity in creating and sustaining the conditions in which the 1994 genocide could occur, leaving up to one million people dead. These factors include the close relationship between church and state, the churches’ endorsement of ethnic policies, power struggles within the churches, and a problematic theology emphasizing obedience instead of responsibility. Nevertheless, the portrayal of all Christian churches as collaborators of the genocide appears too simplistic and one-sided. Various church-led initiatives for peace and reconciliation prior to the genocide indicate a more complex picture of church involvement. Turning away from a “Theology of Genocide” that endorsed ethnic violence, numerous Christian churches in Rwanda now propagate a “Theology of Reconciliation.” A modest empirical case study of the Presbyterian Church (EPR) reveals how their “Theology of Reconciliation” embraces the four dimensions of theology, institutions, relationships, and remembrance. Based on their own confession of guilt in the Detmold Confession of 1996, the EPR’s engagement for reconciliation demonstrates religion’s constructive contribution in Rwanda’s on-going quest for sustainable peace and development.

“That self was gone!” The Transformations of Arthur Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter: A Psychoanalytic Perspective

“That self was gone!” The Transformations of Arthur Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter: A Psychoanalytic Perspective David B. Diamond (bio) After his fateful encounter with Hester in the forest and nightmarish walk through town, Arthur Dimmesdale finally reaches his study where he experiences relief and refuge amongst his familiar surroundings. At the same time, he becomes aware of a momentous internal change that has decisively transformed him since he left his dwelling two days earlier: Here he had studied and written; here, gone though fast and vigil, and had come forth half alive; here, striven to pray; here, borne a hundred thousand agonies! […] He knew it was himself, the thin and white-cheeked minister, who had done and suffered these things, and written thus far into the Election Sermon! But he seemed to stand apart, and eye this former self with scornful, pitying, but half-envious curiosity. That self was gone! Another man had returned out of the forest; a wiser one; with a knowledge of hidden mysteries which the simplicity of the former never could have reached. A bitter kind of knowledge that! (Hawthorne, 1850/1962, pp. 222–223, emphasis added) The reader’s curiosity is aroused by these remarkable assertions: what is the knowledge, which hidden mysteries and what is the wisdom that Dimmesdale has acquired? What of himself, viewed as he is “standing apart” does he see? Who is this new man? The narrator, who has spared the reader no detail of Dimmesdale’s mental deterioration, is silent as to the mental processes involved in this transformation. Although this change is not expressed in words, it is revealed in The Reverend’s subsequent actions: the dismissal of Chillingworth as his physician, the delivery of an inspired and authentic Election [End Page 647] Sermon, a confession of guilt on the scaffold and the public acknowledgment of Pearl as his daughter. None of these actions, which are all contrary to the reader’s expectations, is possible under the aegis of his former passive and paralyzed self. That self is now truly gone. It is no secret that The Scarlet Letter is a psychological novel: word for word, chapter after chapter, scarcely a serious work of literature devotes itself more to the inner life and its conflicts than Hawthorne’s first romance. The small, claustrophobic Puritan colony, with its stark rules of conduct and abundant opportunity for voyeuristic zeal, provides a narrow, shallow, and brilliantly lit stage against which the inner lives of the intensely entangled, conflicted and tormented characters play out. Their secrets, always under pressure of exposure, set them apart from their community, from each other, and from themselves. Under the burden of psychic strain, each character is prone to forms of psychological deterioration. Although it is true of all the protagonists, Arthur Dimmesdale best exemplifies the judgment expressed in The House of the Seven Gables, “For, what other dungeon is so dark as one’s own heart! What jailer so inexorable as one’s self!” (1851/1965, p. 169). Indeed, The Scarlet Letter details the exacting trials of a man who “above all things else […] loathed his miserable self!” (1850/1962, p. 144) but who ultimately finds release in his final scene where he “stood with a flush of triumph in his face, as one who, in the crisis of acutest pain, had won a victory” (p. 255). What is the psychology of this momentous transformation? It is a question that comes naturally to the mind of a psychoanalyst to whom psychological change is not only of interest but a desideratum of psychoanalytic treatment. Athough an analysand is not a fictional character, and Dimmesdale is not an analysand, a bridge between the wide differences in their species is created by the “truth of the human heart,” valorized in the Preface to The House of the Seven Gables, which is encoded in their respective psyches. A cross-disciplinary study which applies a psychoanalytic perspective to a literary work is only possible because Hawthorne provides an abundance of data for psychoanalytic inquiry, namely, the intricate interweaving of the character’s conscious and unconscious motivations and their vicissitudes. These data can be organized and sequenced [End Page 648] into a...

The Pentateuch: Exodus–Deuteronomy

The PentateuchExodus–Deuteronomy Christopher T. Begg, Isaac M. Alderman, and Fred W. Guyette 1800. [Exodus] Pablo R. Andinach, “Encuetro entre la terra y el cielo en la liberación de los esclavos de Egipto,” RevCT 24 (2016) 41–65. A. reads the Book of Exodus as the presentation of a God who opens up a space that makes possible a meeting between himself and his people. This space is a privileged place to which one gains access by faith, whereby in times of oppression, anguish, and hopelessness [End Page 627] people turn to God as one who is solicitous of the needs of the poor and oppressed. Among the book’s key texts that serve to ground such a reading are those concerning the birth of Moses, the plagues of Egypt, the revelation of the divine name and its meaning, etc. Throughout the book, one notices God’s predilection for those who suffer oppression and put their faith in his liberating will. The approach to the book taken by A. favors a literary and symbolic reading of its narrative that seeks to explore the dynamics of the interactions among its characters and their function within the story’s unfolding. By way of conclusion, A. offers a synthesis of the biblical theology that emerges from his reading of Exodus. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] 1801. [Exodus] Siegbert Riecker, “Die Erkenntnisverheißung im Buch Exodus: Ein verunglückter Sprechakt?” JAJ 8 (2017) 26–41. The impact of the exodus tradition on ancient Judaism has been the subject of various investigations that, in turn, have led to further questions about the formative and normative force (J. Assmann) of the exodus narrative. Rather than focus on the effect of this force, R.’s article employs a speech-act analysis of the biblical text in order to shed light on the causation of this. With reference to the “theory of infelicities” associated with J. Austin and R. Grimes, R. addresses the question of why the promise of Pharaoh’s coming to know Yhwh in the Exodus account apparently does not find fulfillment in the book. Five possible points for a “happy” fulfillment can be identified. However, at each of these points, a particular form of infelicity surfaces: (1) Pharaoh’s confessions of guilt (hitch); (2) his release of the Israelites (flaw) and even (3) the outcry of his drowning army (non-play) do not give convincing evidence of the king’s having attained knowledge of Yhwh. Ultimately, it is not (4) the Egyptians (contagion) but rather (5) the Midianite Jethro (substitution) who is described as coming to know Yhwh. It is the tenth in the series of ten recognition formulas used in reference to non-Israelites in Exod 18:11 in connection with the figure of Jethro that seems to provide a fulfillment for the book’s promise of non-Israelites would come to knowledge of Yhwh. This finding has implications for the structure of the exodus narrative as well as for its intended effect on readers of each new generation. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] 1802. [Exod 1:15–22] Facundo Mela, fdp, “Propuesta de estructura y análisis de Ex 1,15–22,” RevistB 79 (2017) 75–87. M.’s article proposes and analyzes in detail a narrative structure for the account of the heroic midwives in Exod 1:15–22. On this basis, he then offers his reflections on the message that the structure proposed by him is intended to convey. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] 1803. [Exod 2:1–3:15] Zdzisław Pawłowski, “Bóg i tożsamość Mojżesza: Lektura narracyjna Exodus 2,1–3,15 [God and Moses’s Identity: A Narrative Reading of Exod 2:1–3:15],” BibAn 7 (2017) 187–205. This article provides a narrative reading of Exod 2:1–3:15, which P. envisages as a more appropriate approach to the text than the traditional historical-critical one with its focus on the text’s origin and literary evolution. The passage consists of a number of well-conceived episodes which serve to establish Moses’ multi-faceted identity...

Institute of Plea Bargain: Features of Legal Regulation

The analysis of plea bargain criminal procedural institute in the prism of its legislative regulation development was carried out. It was concluded that the term "plea bargain" is expressed legally in the terms "agreement on pleading guilty", "the confession of guilt", "plea bargain", "request of one of the parties", "pre-trial cooperation agreement", and "conclusion of an agreement". With the legalization of the plea bargain institution, a sovereign approach is presented by the individual countries of North America, Europe, the post-Soviet space, based on legal and social realities.

The ecumenical commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in Western Europe

This article explores why the Lutheran/Roman Catholic commemoration of the Reformation in 2017 is an ecumenical challenge par excellence. In particular it contrasts the context of the 2017 commemoration with that of previous centenaries and goes more deeply into this by analysing the dialectics of centenaries both in general and with respect to this very special centenary. It also describes major changes in the relationship between Protestants and Catholics, presenting other main aspects of the new context in which that commemoration is taking place in 2017, and addressing different aspects of commemoration. It offers an analysis of how the Catholic/Lutheran Commission on Unity overcame the hindrances to a common commemoration and celebration in its document ‘From Conflict to Communion’, opening the way for a twofold commemoration, both in joy and gratitude, and in lament and confession of guilt. The article also focuses on five ecumenical imperatives which this document offers, not only looking back, but also looking forward, committing Catholics and Protestants to continue their way from conflict to communion. It concludes by describing the highly remarkable service of Common Prayer, which took place in Lund Cathedral, with Pope Francis, for which the above document prepared the way and formed the basis. It becomes clear how theological preparation and the Common Prayer in Lund concurred in making possible a historic ecumenical commemoration and celebration of the Reformation.

On Sincere Apologies: Saying "Sorry" in Hamlet

Even when uttered with the best of intentions, an apology pursues contradictory goals: as a confession of guilt it invites condemnation, but as a petition for forgiveness it seeks to soften condemnation. Some philosophers have tried to clean up this illocutionary messiness by defining apology strictly as either moral acknowledgment or as an instrumental means to achieving pardon. Taking revenge tragedy as a literary genre that thematizes the refusal to forgive or forget past offenses, this essay considers three apologies in Shakespeare's Hamlet in order to argue that not only are philosophical efforts to purge ambiguity from apologies likely to fail but they are also ultimately undesirable.

The run of ourselves: Shame, guilt and confession in post-Celtic Tiger Irish media

This article examines the emergence of the themes of shame and guilt in Irish print and broadcast media in the wake of Ireland’s 2008 economic collapse. It considers how the potential search for explanation of the crisis as a manifestation of unregulated banking and development sectors was displaced onto a confessional discursive pattern in which emphasis was placed on rampant borrowing and consumption as reflective of collective narcissism and acquisitive greed. Hence the logic that ‘hubris’ led inevitably to a national fall from grace and the corresponding resurgence of postcolonial shame; and the interplay between cultural nationalist and neoliberal discourses of redemption through confession of guilt and disciplinary self-regulation as the purging of excess.