Can I be forgiven?

[Mgray82]

I was just received into the Church on Easter Vigil and let me say, it has been a blessing. Unfortunately, with only a week and a half later I have already committed mortal sin and need to get it off my chest. Because my particular sin effects someone within my parish, I would rather confess my sins to another priest.

So, the question is; can I confess to a priest at another parish? Or am I confined to spilling my guts at the parish I’m at now, which would involve possibly hurting someone’s feelings?

 

[js_cat3391]

I was just received into the Church on Easter Vigil and let me say, it has been a blessing. Unfortunately, with only a week and a half later I have already committed mortal sin and need to get it off my chest. Because my particular sin effects someone within my parish, I would rather confess my sins to another priest.

So, the question is; can I confess to a priest at another parish? Or am I confined to spilling my guts at the parish I’m at now, which would involve possibly hurting someone’s feelings?

You are free to confess to any priest.
And of course you can be forgiven.

 

[aspirant]

can I confess to a priest at another parish?

You can confess to any Catholic priest in the world! (In an emergency, you would have even more options.)

 

[dconklin]

Go to Confession at your church if it is the easiest/quickest. It is not necessary to use anyone’s name, so they will not be known.

 

[Theophorus]

I was just received into the Church on Easter Vigil and let me say, it has been a blessing. Unfortunately, with only a week and a half later I have already committed mortal sin and need to get it off my chest. Because my particular sin effects someone within my parish, I would rather confess my sins to another priest.

So, the question is; can I confess to a priest at another parish? Or am I confined to spilling my guts at the parish I’m at now, which would involve possibly hurting someone’s feelings?

Don’t despair, we all sin, but the only unforgivable sin is the one you won’t let be forgiven. Its good that you have realised your fall into sin and that you wish to pick yourself up and keep going by confessing your sins. It is better to try and stick to the same confessor if possible, but it doesn’t have to be your parish Priest(Pastor), any Priest with faculties to do so can hear any Catholic’s confession. In addition, a Catholic Priest will not divulge your confession to anyone, in the past Priests have died before doing so. However I understand your reluctance to confess to your own parish Priest and if you feel it it the best thing for you to do then yes you can go elsewhere, but rest assured if you did confess to your parish Priest it would not get about in the parish.

God bless

 

[DexUK]

You can confess to any Catholic priest in the world! (In an emergency, you would have even more options.)

Just for completeness, it’s probably best to say…

Almost any priest can hear confession.

Priests are authorised to hear confessions by their presiding Bishop, and there are a few who have either had that permission withdrawn or, perhaps if they are new, not yet had it granted - however you would not find them presenting themselves to hear a confession (unless you were in danger of death).

Also, the priest needs to be operating under the authority of the local RC diocese. That means SSPX priests and those claiming valid ordinations but not part of the Roman Catholic institution are not permitted to absolve penitents.

In real life though, if you want to approach a priest for confession but don’t want to confess to your parish priest (perhaps because he’s a family friend) then simply go to a neighbouring parish. Many many many people will do this. It’s nothing unusual and nothing to be ashamed of.

 

[Joe_5859]

As others have said, you can go to another priest and you can absolutely be forgiven.

God loves you at all times. Keep on keeping on. We all stumble. The key is getting back up and availing ourselves of God’s infinite mercy.

 

[aspirant]

Priests are authorised to hear confessions by their presiding Bishop, and there are a few who have either had that permission withdrawn or, perhaps if they are new, not yet had it granted - however you would not find them presenting themselves to hear a confession (unless you were in danger of death). Also, the priest needs to be operating under the authority of the local RC diocese.

True that!

 

[PJM]

=Mgray82;10604281]I was just received into the Church on Easter Vigil and let me say, it has been a blessing. Unfortunately, with only a week and a half later I have already committed mortal sin and need to get it off my chest. Because my particular sin effects someone within my parish, I would rather confess my sins to another priest.

So, the question is; can I confess to a priest at another parish? Or am I confined to spilling my guts at the parish I’m at now, which would involve possibly hurting someone’s feelings?

Dear friend;

You seem to not have a FULL and correct understanding of the AWESOME sacrament of Kown Forgivness: Confession.

1. The priest cannot reveal even if threatened with death ANYTHING told to him is and durring Confession/ PERIOD; NO exceptions!
2. The priest will not ask for names UNLESS YOU offer to give them. Number 1 still applies.
3. All mortal sins MUST BE CONFESSED to be forgiven. The Nature and type of sin and the number of times committed. NAMES ARE NOT ESSENTAIL!
4. A SINCERE repenteance and a FIRM and serious effort to NOT recommit the same sin again; with God’s help, are essential.
5. There is ONLY One truly unforgiveable sin: Denial of God as God.
6. You can call and make an appointment for Confession outside on the normal times.
7. GET TO CONFESSION ASAP!

God Bless you,
pat/PJM here on CAF

 

[Mgray82]

What if I continually commit the same sin over and over again? Yet, I am truly sorry. Can I still go to confession and receive forgiveness? Or is there a point where the priest will cut me off?

 

[SuperLuigi]

What if I continually commit the same sin over and over again? Yet, I am truly sorry. Can I still go to confession and receive forgiveness? Or is there a point where the priest will cut me off?

If you’re really sorry, I don’t see how any priest could “cut you off”.

You may, however, eventually get asked about scruples or continuing struggles.

 

[aspirant]

What if I continually commit the same sin over and over again? Yet, I am truly sorry. Can I still go to confession and receive forgiveness?

If you turn away from your sins toward God, confess your sins honestly in number and kind (to the best of your ability), and firmly resolve to cooperate with God’s grace and to sin no more each time, you will receive forgiveness each time.

 

[hannajomar]

First, welcome home, Mgray!

Second, you can go to any parish, any priest for confession. I have never gone to my own parish priests for confession. I would feel very strange that.

Third, most of us tend to sin the same sins over and over again. Those are the sins that take hold of us in a stronger way than something that we do just once in a while. It’s wise to mention this to the priest during your confession. He might have some practical advice to help you with it. For example, “I stole 17 cars in the last week. I know it’s wrong and I don’t want to steal any more cars. But I really have a problem with temptations to steal cars and I’m trying to stop…” something like that.

 

[R_C]

I was just received into the Church on Easter Vigil and let me say, it has been a blessing. Unfortunately, with only a week and a half later I have already committed mortal sin and need to get it off my chest. Because my particular sin effects someone within my parish, I would rather confess my sins to another priest.

It would be improper, as far as I know, to identify anyone else involved in your sin. Meaning you should identify whether the person is a lay faithful, a priest, a religious bound by vows, etc. but not identify the person by name, etc.

It is neither fortunate nor unfortunate that we sin, for God allows it and such is the way of the Cross: we fall and we pick ourselves up and keep walking.

By the way, the idea of resisting confession out of shame is not from the Holy Spirit. You should be eager to confess especially to a priest before whom you’d experience great shame, because shame is another name for pride, the worst of the three evil inclinations (pride, vanity, lust), which can only be mortified through a profound humbleness and by means of humiliation.

 

[R_C]

What if I continually commit the same sin over and over again? Yet, I am truly sorry. Can I still go to confession and receive forgiveness? Or is there a point where the priest will cut me off?

Well, how does a priest forgive? By the authority granted to Peter and the Apostles by Christ.

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but seventy times seven.

A certain number for an uncertain (see Genesis 4:24), this means that we ought to forgive as many times as we want God to forgive us. Remember the words of Pope Francis on his first Angelus:

Let us not forget this word: God never ever tires of forgiving us! “Well, Father what is the problem?”. Well, the problem is that we ourselves tire, we do not want to ask, we grow weary of asking for forgiveness. He never tires of forgiving, but at times we get tired of asking for forgiveness. Let us never tire, let us never tire! He is the loving Father who always pardons, who has that heart of mercy for us all.

Now tell me, do you think perchance that the priest has you as a holy person, as a great saint? He knows how wretched you are, obviously more than you yourself do We are poor, wretched sinners. Alone we can do nothing. In Christ, everything. Do not fear: neither a priest, nor Christ will ever cut you off. It is only you who can chose to cut yourself off. Whenever you are tempted by the idea that Christ may reject you, look immediately at a crucifix and remember the words of Scripture:

I will never forget you! Behold, I have engraved you in my hands.

 

[PJM]

=Mgray82;10604895]What if I continually commit the same sin over and over again? Yet, I am truly sorry. Can I still go to confession and receive forgiveness? Or is there a point where the priest will cut me off?

ASK yourself IF one can [truly be sorry] and go on committing the same sin?

The answer is PERHAPS; but only IF its adctive or habit. And even then GOD WILL expect you to go to Him regullary for help in over-comming it. THATS WHY IT CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO GO TO THE SAME PRIEST SO HE CAN GUIDE AND ASSIST YOU.

 

[englishredrose]

the only time your confession of a sin possibly hurt another if that happend to be of the priest himself. In that case it may be easier for you to go to another priest in a different parish and confess freerly there.

Otherwise even if you named the other people in your confession they will never know of it from the priest. Even if the priest is a family friend and knows that family friend is the cause of the sin you committed he should and would still keep the confession under the oath of secrecy. But as others have said you find it easier to go elsewhere and anyone can do this anytime without giving any reason.

Another priest will forgive you as much as your own parish priest as they are of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament, though penance may vary depending if you have built up a confessional relationship as such and the priest knows what he has previously given you as penance etc and knows of your spiritual journey and need… If that happens in Catholic Confession?