Confessions

A "walk in the woods"plan

Going to confession is never easy, but it can try men's souls in Moscow. Since KGB agents presumably keep electronic ears tuned to the foreign community in the Soviet capital, many diplomats, journalists and businessmen who want to confer privately with a priest suspect that their innermost thoughts may be known to others than God.

Father Robert Fortin, 51, the American Roman Catholic chaplain who holds Mass each Sunday for many in the foreign community at the U.S. embassy snack bar or in his apartment on Kutuzovsky Prospect, has come up with a practical way for his parishioners to ease their consciences without fear of being overheard. In a variation on traditional Roman Catholic practice, the chaplain granted general absolution to all who attended special services in the holiday season. But for those who still want to speak individually with him, Fortin offers a "walk in the woods" procedure that he hopes will foil eavesdroppers: he has agreed to hear confession on the run, so to speak, while strolling around town or through a Moscow park. As Fortin explains to his flock, "You are all in delicate positions here. You should not be forced to decide between risking your professional status and security or gaining forgiveness for your sins."