Can the priest make me tell someone else?

[ThatOneDudeAlex]

I feel really bad for saying this, but I’ve been avoiding confession. A while ago, I did something that’s been on my mind. Something that was done to another person. I’ve felt the need to go to confession, but have kept myself from doing so.

I’m worried the priest will tell me I have to tell the other person what I did. While I’m very upset about what happened, and very sorry, it’s something I simply can’t admit. Can a priest ever make me tell another person what I’ve done?

(It’s nothing super-awful like murder or anything, that’d be a different story. Just… something I wouldn’t be able to tell)

 

[Trishie]

No, he cannot make you tell. However, is there any way you can make restitution, put things right quietly yourself?

A priest cannot make his absolution conditional on you going and confessing a crime–i.e., he can’t assign it as a penance that you go tell the police (or anyone else) what you did.
If he could do this then the seal of the sacrament would be meaningless as any priest could force any penitent to publicly disclose what he did.
This means that some crimes that come to light in the confessional will go undiscovered and unpunished by civil law, but the Church has judged it better to encourage the faithful to confess their sins by giving them an absolute assurance of confidentiality rather than leaving them to wonder whether the priest will disclose what they have done or–just as bad–force them to do so themselves.
The Code of Canon Law provides:Can. 983 §1. The sacramental seal is inviolable; therefore it is absolutely forbidden for a confessor to betray in any way a penitent in words or in any manner and for any reason.
Can. 984 §1. A confessor is prohibited completely from using knowledge acquired from confession to the detriment of the penitent even when any danger of revelation is excluded.

jimmyakin.org/2005/11/can_a_priest_fo.html

I hope you now feel free to go to Confession, but if you can make up for your fault in some way, if no other way, by praying for the person, then I guess you will be happy to do that.
God bless you

 

[Jim_Roberts]

I feel really bad for saying this, but I’ve been avoiding confession. A while ago, I did something that’s been on my mind. Something that was done to another person. I’ve felt the need to go to confession, but have kept myself from doing so.

I’m worried the priest will tell me I have to tell the other person what I did. While I’m very upset about what happened, and very sorry, it’s something I simply can’t admit. Can a priest ever make me tell another person what I’ve done?

(It’s nothing super-awful like murder or anything, that’d be a different story. Just… something I wouldn’t be able to tell)

---

Modt likely you should aspologized to t he person for whatever right or wrong they have done; you can still do this in confession, bnut the priest might telll you to apaproach the victim

JESUS I TRUST IN YOU

jr

 

[promethius]

I feel really bad for saying this, but I’ve been avoiding confession. A while ago, I did something that’s been on my mind. Something that was done to another person. I’ve felt the need to go to confession, but have kept myself from doing so.

I’m worried the priest will tell me I have to tell the other person what I did. While I’m very upset about what happened, and very sorry, it’s something I simply can’t admit. Can a priest ever make me tell another person what I’ve done?

(It’s nothing super-awful like murder or anything, that’d be a different story. Just… something I wouldn’t be able to tell)

As Trishie said, the priest might SUGGEST that you talk with the person (my priest certainly has, and in fact has been right in the suggestion every time!), but they cannot MANDATE it.

 

[powerlinemom]

No, he can’t make you tell the other person. I don’t know the circumstances or the relationship you have with this person, but what if you just did something nice for him or her. It might make you feel better, and you don’t have to tell them why. Just say that you were thinking of them. It may ease your conscience a little, and brighten the other person’s day a little too.

 

[1ke]

I feel really bad for saying this, but I’ve been avoiding confession. A while ago, I did something that’s been on my mind. Something that was done to another person. I’ve felt the need to go to confession, but have kept myself from doing so.

I’m worried the priest will tell me I have to tell the other person what I did. While I’m very upset about what happened, and very sorry, it’s something I simply can’t admit. Can a priest ever make me tell another person what I’ve done?

(It’s nothing super-awful like murder or anything, that’d be a different story. Just… something I wouldn’t be able to tell)

No.

This violates the seal of confession.

Go to confession.

 

[puzzleannie]

I I’m worried the priest will tell me I have to tell the other person what I did. While I’m very upset about what happened, and very sorry, it’s something I simply can’t admit. Can a priest ever make me tell another person what I’ve done?

)

no he cannot make you do anything as a condition for absolution, except to exhibit contrition and confess to him. In fact most priests would counsel against talking to the other person about it, except in some limited circumstances.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

When I went to confession recently I mentioned that my hearing was poor. The priest said, “Before we start your confession, can you hear my homilies?” It happens that he is the only one I can hear and I was happy to tell him so. Then he said, “Now we will start your Confession.”

I was puzzled by that until I realized that he wanted to ensure that my answer was not covered by the seal and that he could act on it. Evidence that priests take the seal as absolute.