Can a Protestant receive Absolution?

[Throwaway123]

Context: I’m a Protestant who is currently undergoing conversion to become Catholic. I wish to receive Absolution, and I believe there is some support for that in Canon law.

Canon 844 §4 states that:

“§4. If the danger of death is present or if, in the judgment of the diocesan bishop or conference of bishops, some other grave necessity urges it, Catholic ministers administer these same sacraments licitly also to other Christians not having full communion with the Catholic Church, who cannot approach a minister of their own community and who seek such on their own accord, provided that they manifest Catholic faith in respect to these sacraments and are properly disposed.”

Now, the question is what constitutes “some other grave necessity”?

I have asked both my local parish priest and the bishop, and they say it would be OK for me to receive Absolution. The grave reason in my case is that I feel a lot of anxiety about my sins.

Am I 100% in the clear to receive Absolution, in your opinion?

 

[po18guy]

Other than death, it would be something almost equally important. Be patient, you’ll have your opportunity very soon.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

Context: I’m a Protestant who is currently undergoing conversion to become Catholic. I wish to receive Absolution, and I believe there is some support for that in Canon law.

Canon 844 §4 states that:

“§4. If the danger of death is present or if, in the judgment of the diocesan bishop or conference of bishops, some other grave necessity urges it, Catholic ministers administer these same sacraments licitly also to other Christians not having full communion with the Catholic Church, who cannot approach a minister of their own community and who seek such on their own accord, provided that they manifest Catholic faith in respect to these sacraments and are properly disposed.”

Now, the question is what constitutes “some other grave necessity”?

I have asked both my local parish priest and the bishop, and they say it would be OK for me to receive Absolution. The grave reason in my case is that I feel a lot of anxiety about my sins.

Am I 100% in the clear to receive Absolution, in your opinion?

I would defer to your bishop on this. Canon law unambiguously gives him the authority to make that sort of decision.

Not to veer onto the rumble strips of heresy, but I have never understood why baptized non-Catholic Christians cannot receive sacraments in the Catholic Church, provided that they understand them in the same way the Catholic Church does. The only thing that has ever made sense to me, is that they are not visibly and formally “in the Church” — extra ecclesiam nulla salus — and thus, in the objective order,, I repeat for emphasis, in the objective order, are at least material heretics and/or schismatics. The fact that their conscience does not accuse them of certain things being sins, that the Catholic Church teaches are sins, and therefore their being unrepentant of things that in their eyes are not sinful (e.g., contraception), might also present a problem — how could they ever make a confession and be absolved?

The fact that you are evidently a catechumen, ready to embrace all that the Catholic Church teaches, should mean that this would not be a problem for you, but I can foresee that it could, for a non-Catholic Christian seeking absolution, but having no intention either of becoming Catholic, or of accepting Catholic moral theology jot and tittle.

 

[HeDa]

Those who are already baptised with a valid baptism are candidates not catechumens (non-baptised) and the first sacrament they receive when becoming Catholics is actually the Sacrament of Reconcilliation (Confession). When we receive the Sacraments in the Catholic Church we agree to everything the Catholic Church believes, teaches and proclaimes to be true. That is why adults have a time of preparation and teaching before they are received in to full communion with the Catholic Church. First Confession for candidates being received, is usually within a week or two before formal reception. At that time they should not be a member of their former protestant communion!

Throwaway123 It takes time to become a Catholic and an informed decision is something that is very important. The preparation time in the Early Church was around three years. As a convert myself, I looked forward to going to confession and the preparation was a two year process in my parish.

 

[TomH1]

I find your question to be a little concerning.

You say both priest and bishop have said you can receive absolution. Why would the opinions (possibly not at all well-informed) of strangers on the internet be of concern to you? You must respect what the priest and bishop have said. They are also far more likely to be privy to more information than us, which is not a suggestion you should tell us all.

You also say you have a lot of anxiety about your sins.

These facts all lead me to suspect you may be suffering from scrupulosity. This is something you need to have a serious talk about with your priest and is not something you should be raising with strangers on the internet.

I pray the rest of your journey home is peaceful.

 

[Phemie]

I find your question to be a little concerning.

You say both priest and bishop have said you can receive absolution. Why would the opinions (possibly not at all well-informed) of strangers on the internet be of concern to you? You must respect what the priest and bishop have said. They are also far more likely to be privy to more information than us, which is not a suggestion you should tell us all.

You also say you have a lot of anxiety about your sins.

These facts all lead me to suspect you may be suffering from scrupulosity. This is something you need to have a serious talk about with your priest and is not something you should be raising with strangers on the internet.

I pray the rest of your journey home is peaceful.

Whoa! Let’s not throw the word scrupulosity around willy-nilly! As a candidate he has come to understand the need for the sacrament and is looking back at a lifetime. Nothing scrupulous about desiring the sacrament sooner rather than later.

 

[TomH1]

Whoa! Let’s not throw the word scrupulosity around willy-nilly! As a candidate he has come to understand the need for the sacrament and is looking back at a lifetime. Nothing scrupulous about desiring the sacrament sooner rather than later.

Hmm …
It seems a little ironic that you are doing what you accuse me of: Jumping to conclusions.

The OP said they are very anxious about their sins. Both a a priest and a bishop have given consent for the OP to receive the Sacrament of Penance now. However, the OP still comes on to an Internet forum to ask whether they should go to confession now or not. That does suggest the OP could be unduly concerned about this issue and that can lead to the problem of scrupulosity. I advised they go back to a priest and discuss this. That’s far better than what the OP is doing on here.