Seal of confession is absolute, even after penitent dies, officials say

cns ^ | November 13, 2014 | Cindy Wooden

[Stevenc131]

I had a Labor History class in college. The lefty professor, who was actually a good teacher, had talked with an elderly priest about one of the old time labor leaders. The priest admitted the labor leader had confessed to being a communist.

The labor leader was long gone at the point the priest talked about him, but there were a couple of Catholic girls in the class who got pretty upset (at the priest, not the professor).

I don’t remember who the labor leader was, it was someone in the CIO, which wasn’t really news since the CIO was full of commies and everyone pretty much knew it.

[terycarl]

All the more reason not to be a Catholic...We have the words that God spoke to us...He freed us from the chains of Catholic bondage...

so....you say that because Jesus died for our sins, we have no responsibility for them at all...Great idea, we all get to live whatever lifestyle we choose, after all, all our sins and shortcomings have been paid for by someone else....good luck with that inane theory.

[Iscool]

How would the priest know who the guy was who made the confession?

That's a different story but that wasn't question...Perhaps the confession wasn't made in the confessional but over a cup of coffee somewhere...

[Mrs. Don-o]

Confession without repentance --- which means turning away from sin, and a sincere intent not to sin again --- is a sacrilege. Not only is the entire Confession invalidated, but is constitutes an additional sin in itself.

Any 7 year old preparing for their First Confession knows this. Repent means you're sorry and you promise --- with the help of God's grace --- --- not to do it again.

[Mrs. Don-o]

You mean, not a sacramental Confession?

[terycarl]

The priest admitted the labor leader had confessed to being a communist.

if, in a conversation with a priest, a person admits to being a communist, he is not confessing a sin. God isn't particularily interested in your politics.

[Iscool]

after all, all our sins and shortcomings have been paid for by someone else....good luck with that inane theory.

Well that's the inane theory of the scriptures...But instead of theory, it's fact...

They were paid for by the death of Jesus...There is no other reason he had to die...

[Sacajaweau]

My first confession was....I stepped on Mrs. Cullian's lawn 500 times. I lied 500 times. I disobeyed 500 times.

Good thing we didn't describe EACH incident.

As years passed...I learned which priest gave 3 Our Fathers and 3 Hail Marys.....no matter what you did.

[Iscool]

You mean, not a sacramental Confession?

What's a non sacramental Confession to a Catholic???

[Mrs. Don-o]

The assistant pastor , Fr. Julian, gave the Seven Penitential Psalms last time I confessed. I guess he thought I needed the maximum dose.... :o)

[Mrs. Don-o]

I need a clarification here. Are we talking about the Sacrament of Confession, or are we talking about shooting the breeze over a cup of coffee? The former involves the Seal of Confession, which is to say, it involves inviolable confidentiality. The later ---- is just shooting the breeze. It is not covered by sacramental norms.

So to get back to the question: how does this priest who has head the confession of a murderer, know who it is?

[Iscool]

So to get back to the question: how does this priest who has head the confession of a murderer, know who it is?

I wasn't there...So it has to be in a confessional booth to be a legitimate sacramental confession???

[Bayard]

Lets not forget that a priest has the authority not to confer absolution.

If a man confessed a serious sin, and such a sin is ongoing, such that say a person wanted to confess planning a bank robbery, and intending to commit the robbery afterwords, a priest would have cause and the duty to withhold absolution on the grounds of John 20:22-23

John 20:22-23 He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. "If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.

Matthew 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

Matthew 18:18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

There are more examples from scripture. But suffice it to say, for a Catholic person, who has not been contrite enough such that they would not desire to make recompense for wrongdoings would be judged by the priest and remain unforgiven. Hence the Catholic stories about shaking crosses and loud shouts in a Catholic confessional.

[Old Yeller]

No, not just anybody can absolve sins. In the Catholic Church, you have to be an ordained priest.

If the ordained priest is a pedophile, does it still count for him to forgive your sins.

[Mrs. Don-o]

For the most part, sacramental confessions occur in confessionals, but there are obvious exceptions such as jail cells, hospital rooms and combat zones. So no, it doesn't have to be in a confessional booth. But it does have to be an explicitly intentional sacramental confession from beginning to end. Without intent, there is no sacrament.

Sacramental confession and U.S. law have coexisted for 225 years now, and I have never heard of a case where a murderer confessed to a priest face to face but did not repent (which would raise the question: then why did he confess? --- understanding that the priest could refuse absolution unless he surrendered himself to the police.)

There have been novels along these lines, but no actual cases that I know of.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Old Yeller, the validity of the Sacrament does not depend upon sinlessness on the part of the priest. If it did, nobody could EVER be sure he had received the Sacrament, since nobody can know the possibly hidden sins on another person's soul.

The Sacrament is effective ex opere operato --- that is, "by the work worked." Jesus gives the absolution: it is not based on the priest's merit.

[Arthur McGowan]

There is no specific “vow” made regarding the Seal of Confession. It’s simply the law of the Church that to violate the seal is a mortal sin and results in automatic excommunication.

[Arthur McGowan]

There is not a single syllable in the billions of words written by Catholic authorities, Popes, bishops, priests, theologians, spiritual writers, or saints, in the entire 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church, that encourages cold ritualistic adherence to rules.

Just so you know.

[Arthur McGowan]

The priest’s absolution flows directly from Christ’s forgiveness of our sins.

It is easy for sinners to deceive themselves. It is helpful to take sins to an objective judge, who can give advice and encouragement. It is very encouraging to the penitent to receive absolution from this objective party to whom he has manifested his sins.

The Church is how Christ chose to remain in the world. It is his body—as he told Saul. “I am Jesus, and you are persecuting ME.” Of course, Saul was persecuting THE CHURCH.

When the priest gives absolution, it is Jesus who acts, making his forgiveness of our sins real in the present moment.

[Arthur McGowan]

You ignore the verse in which Jesus says to the apostles:

“Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them, and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.”

http://biblehub.com/john/20-23.htm

How can the apostles conceivably discern which sins to forgive, and which to retain, if they have no knowledge of those sins? Therefore, Jesus logically implies that people will TELL the apostles their sins.

It seems incredible that you would not have quoted such a relevant verse.