A priest you don't trust

[Spirithound]

If a priest has faulty intention (doesent intend to grant absolution or do what the Church teaches of the sacrament) but says the correct words of absolution - Is that valid?

Does the intention of the priest affect the Sacrament of Penance in the same way it does the Consecration in the Mass?

I have read in This Rock that the state of mind a priest must have for an invalid consecration is basically one of malicious intent to deceive, ie “This is not the Eucharist, I am not celebrating the Lord’s supper in any way, shape, and/or form, I am tricking these people into thinking they’re performing a ritual.” This is beyond simply not believing in transsubstantiation, it is an intent to NOT perform the sacrament.

I would think that the same criteria applies to absolution; the priest would have to actively intend to NOT perform the sacrament.

Needless to say, I’m pretty sure this attitude is pretty well never present.

 

[mgy100]

Is there anything wrong (sacramentally) with going to confession to a priest you don’t trust/agree with?

There are several priests in my area that I could confess to, but I don’t because of trust issues. For instance, one priest is all but openly homosexual, and condones it, and another believes that some of Christ’s miracles were nothing but stories told to prove a good message.

In a pinch, if I had to confess to one of these men, would it still be a valid confession, even if I knew that these were not men of God?

This attitude is an ancient practice called Donatism. Look it up.