The engraving on which this painting is based was published in 'The Sphere', a popular illustrated news magazine. Matania, the artist of the original, was given official permission to visit the British trenches, and this scene was probably composed from sketches done on the spot. The painting shows men of the Royal Munster Fusiliers, an Irish and mainly Catholic regiment. They are paraded in front of a Calvary, a religious roadside sculpture representing Christ’s crucifixion. The regimental padre is mounted on horseback to deliver General Absolution, a rite of forgiveness for sins. General Absolution, administered to a large group rather than to individuals, was normally permitted by the Catholic Church only when danger of death was imminent.