Abortion and absolution

[luigik]

it is about abortion: mortal sin with following excomuniction.

Who can absolve from it? The Bisops, ok.
Priests with special faculties, ok
Priests, members of the so called mendicant orders, ok
who else?

 

[Tonks40]

If one is truly sorry for an abortion, they can go to their priest and confess the mortal sin. It can be absolved by them.

 

[luigik]

sorry, I am sure not any priest, even with the faculty to hear confessions, can give the said absolution, because of the connected excomunication.
Let us wait for a canon lawer or a scholar in moral theology to give the right answer, if not we make only more confusion

 

[Trishie]

1463 Certain particularly grave sins incur excommunication, the most severe ecclesiastical penalty, which impedes the reception of the sacraments and the exercise of certain ecclesiastical acts, and for which absolution consequently cannot be granted, according to canon law, except by the Pope, the bishop of the place or priests authorized by them. In danger of death any priest, even if deprived of faculties for hearing confessions, can absolve from every sin and excommunication.[Latin canon 976; Easter canon 725]

 

[LilyM]

sorry, I am sure not any priest, even with the faculty to hear confessions, can give the said absolution, because of the connected excomunication.
Let us wait for a canon lawer or a scholar in moral theology to give the right answer, if not we make only more confusion

In practice the vast majority of bishops have given faculties to lift excommunications in relation to abortion to all the priests in their respective dioceses. Sadly, it is a common enough sin that it would be a huge logistical nightmare not to do so.

So in most dioceses you could indeed go to any priest and they would have the authority to lift the excommunication.

Very simply - if you go to confession the priest will tell you if it is necessary to consult the bishop, or will simply absolve you himself if he is able to do so.

 

[thistle]

sorry, I am sure not any priest, even with the faculty to hear confessions, can give the said absolution, because of the connected excomunication.
Let us wait for a canon lawer or a scholar in moral theology to give the right answer, if not we make only more confusion

There is no confusion. Priests can give absolution for those sincerely confessing abortion and the excommunication is lifted. They have been delegated this authority.

 

[Robin_L.in_TX]

My understanding is that most bishops delegate that authority to parish priests. BUT they can absolve you from your first confession of the sin of abortion. My understanding is that if you then have a second abortion and want to confess that you then have to confess to the Bishop.

 

[FrDavid96]

it is about abortion: mortal sin with following excomuniction.

Who can absolve from it? The Bisops, ok.
Priests with special faculties, ok
Priests, members of the so called mendicant orders, ok
who else?

Luigik,
This is called a “reserved sin” ONLY the bishop can absolve from this, parish priests cannot. However if (and that’s important) if the bishop has delegated this faculty to the priest then he can absolve from it. We cannot assume that any particular priest has this faculty, other than to say that by canon law, priests do not.

A person in this situation of needing absolution from a procured abortion should discuss this with a priest in the internal forum (that is, under the seal of the Confessional). That particular priest will certainly know whether or not he has those faculties, and if not, how to refer the penitent to the appropriate confessor.

 

[thistle]

Luigik,
This is called a “reserved sin” ONLY the bishop can absolve from this, parish priests cannot. However if (and that’s important) if the bishop has delegated this faculty to the priest then he can absolve from it. We cannot assume that any particular priest has this faculty, other than to say that by canon law, priests do not.

A person in this situation of needing absolution from a procured abortion should discuss this with a priest in the internal forum (that is, under the seal of the Confessional). That particular priest will certainly know whether or not he has those faculties, and if not, how to refer the penitent to the appropriate confessor.

What would be the situation if a priest does not have that faculty but either forgets or for whatever reason does not say anything to the person about not having that faculty and the penitent sincerely confesses and is given absolution. The penitent would be ignorant about the lack of faculty and would assume absolution was genuine and that the excommunication was lifted. The penitent would assume they were back in a state of grace and be entitled to receive Communion. Is such a penitent still in a state of mortal sin or not? What if the person died immediately after being given such an absolution? Would they be saved or not?

 

[Kielbasi]

it is about abortion: mortal sin with following excomuniction.

Excommunication does not always follow abortion. Its always a sin,but the ecclesiastic penalty doesn’t always follow automatically.

There are several reasons why excommunication wouldn’t apply- mainly based on the age of the person and whether they were knowledgable about excommunication.