Confession - absolution language

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I was just in confession and when it came for the priest to say the absolution language, he only said, "I forgive you from your sins in name of Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Is that a valid confession if he doesn’t use all the absolution language?
 
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The priest may have intended to absolve you from your sins and it may have been an innocent mistake in the use of words.

If you’ve confessed a mortal sin at this confession, I recommend you go to confession again, if not to the same place, then somewhere else. And keep in mind that if this happens again, gently interrupt Father and ask him to absolve you using the correct formula.

The words used in absolution are important…

CCC #1449 has the formula used in the Latin Church.

1974 Rite of Penance #46
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

Rite of Penance #19
The Prayer of the Penitent and the Absolution by the Priest19 After this the penitent manifests his contrition and resolution to begin a new life by means of a prayer for God’s pardon. It is desirable that this prayer should be based on the words of Scripture.Following this prayer, the priest extends his hands, or at least his right hand, over the head of the penitent and pronounces the formula of absolution, in which the essential words are: ‘I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’. … …"

“NOTITIAE” 2015/2 REDISCOVERING THE «RITE OF PENANCE» scroll down to the section called Absolution, in the 5th paragraph -
" … … But then the style of language changes and the priest then says what the Ritual calls «the essential words» ( RP 19). Still speaking directly to the penitent, he says: «and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit», making the sign of the cross over the penitent. The priest who says «I absolve you» is speaking here in persona Christi ."
 
I would have guessed the absolution was valid, and Fr Z thinks so to (but he admits he’s unsure).

FrDavid96 says firmly that it isn’t valid, and also says that although your absolution was invalid through no fault of your own, you must still approach a priest for absolution (whether you will have to re-confess your sins will be up to him)…
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"Forgive" vs "Absolve" Liturgy and Sacraments
Recently I went to confession and during the absolution, the priest used the word “forgive” rather than “absolve.” (I.e., “through the ministry of the Church may God grant you pardon and peace, and I forgive you of your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…”). I go to confession with some frequency and so this sounded unusual (though clearly he was intending to offer absolution and the words “absolve” and “forgive” strike me as synonyms more than anything else…
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FrDavid96.
…
Absolution is a juridic act of the Church, and as such the Church decides what constitutes a valid and licit formula. For the Western Church, the words “I absolve you” (ego te absolvo) are the essential words of absolution. They cannot be changed at the whim of a priest. The only (yes only) valid form is “I absolve you…”
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And…
FrDavid96

Objectively: “I forgive you” is not a valid form of absolution.

Objectively: when someone is in a situation where a priest does not absolve validly (although the penitent made a good confession), that person should approach another priest for a valid absolution.

Objectively: the penitent is not culpable for the fault of the priest.
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He also mentions that he has answered this question previously in CAF, on multiple occassions, and there’s a link in post #2.
 
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If this is invalid, and I am not saying it is not, what happens to the many who may I heard their priest say forgive instead of absolve and think the words are synonymous and and do not question it? I do not want to imply this happens a lot but I would imagine if it did happen most penitents would not know they had not been absolved.
 
Is this really an issue? In all honesty, do you really think it matters to God what words are used? It’s not a magical incantation.
 
rotlex said:
Is this really an issue? In all honesty, do you really think it matters to God what words are used? It’s not a magical incantation.
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Yes, it is.

Yes, it does.

Sacramental formulas as not to be messed with. Forgiveness is not something the priest does; this is something God does. Absolution is something the priest does in the name of the Church as a juridic action in persona Christi.

It matters to God because he gave his Church the power to bind and loose, and the Church has bound absolution to this formula.

The use of the word “forgive” is invalid, or dubious at best, and dubious is not good enough where sacramental validity is concerned. No patient should ever to doubt the validity of his absolution.

This has happened to me at least twice, and both times, I sought the advice of trusted confessors when I got the chance. Both times, they affirmed that it was doubtful at best, asked me for at least the gist of my previous confession and imparted proper absolution.
 
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So you believe that if you make a good confession, are truly sorry for your sins, and the priest doesn’t say the right words, God won’t forgive you? Sorry, that sounds to me like you put more faith in man than God.

As you state. Forgiveness is something God does, not the priest. If you truly believe that, God is forgiving you even if the “man” makes a mistake.
 
rotlex said:
So you believe that if you make a good confession, are truly sorry for your sins, and the priest doesn’t say the right words, God won’t forgive you? Sorry, that sounds to me like you put more faith in man than God.

As you state. Forgiveness is something God does, not the priest. If you truly believe that, God is forgiving you even if the “man” makes a mistake.
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Not saying that at all. However, for those aware of the fault, it still does not relieve them of the obligation. The sacrament has two requirements: I need to confess. The priest needs to absolve. Without one or the other, there is no Sacrament.

I have no doubt that God forgives me despite the priest messing up the sacramental formula. But I also know I am not absolved. Until I am absolved, I cannot approach Communion because my relationship with the Church has not been completely restored.

And just in case I am not clear enough: absolution is not the same as forgiveness. Forgiveness comes with absolution, but absolution is a juridic act of the Church. That’s why a priest needs faculties, not merely Holy Orders for one’s confession to be valid, not merely licit.

This is not about putting faith in man over God. This is me trusting that God has ordained his Church to do things a certain way, a way to be trusted and cherished. If God has ordained things to be done and said a certain way, then all concerned will answer for how they treat that order.
 
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Quotes from the above article-

"A slight lapse or omission in reciting the formula of absolution would not affect its validity, provided that the words “I absolve you from your sins” are said. "

“As the formula of absolution is the form of the sacrament of reconciliation, the recitation of its essential part is required for validity …”

“In this case God would certainly restore a sincere penitent to the state of grace in spite of the priest’s omission. But this would not remove the obligation of confessing a mortal sin again and receiving absolution. It would not be necessary in the case of venial sin.” (Italics & Bold are mine).

"If a penitent realizes that a priest has not granted absolution or has omitted the essential words, then the proper thing to do is to tell the priest immediately and request absolution before leaving the confessional. "
 
Easy enough to mention this at next confession. If it is the same priest, ask him specifically about his formula. It is is still the same, you can:
  1. Excuse yourself and find another confessor.
  2. Print out the proper formula and give it to him.
This is also an excellent opportunity to offer prayer for that priest. He may have been taught wrongly in the first place. In that case, those who taught him bear the greater sin.
 
Not it’s not. But my faith is strong enough to believe that He forgives me even if His servants error. I’m sorry. To feel any differently is absolutely ridiculous.
 
porthos11 said:
Sacramental formulas as not to be messed with. Forgiveness is not something the priest does; this is something God does. Absolution is something the priest does in the name of the Church as a juridic action in persona Christi.

It matters to God because he gave his Church the power to bind and loose, and the Church has bound absolution to this formula.

The use of the word “forgive” is invalid, or dubious at best, and dubious is not good enough where sacramental validity is concerned. No patient should ever to doubt the validity of his absolution.
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Agreed. This is not because absolution is a “limited” sacrament, but because it’s a very powerful one. With absolution we receive the assurance that God has forgiven all our sins, because the Church has pronounced absolution. To receive that assurance, all that’s required is an honest confession (doesn’t have to be perfect), and for the priest to pronounce the words of absolution.

I well remember living as a Protestant and not being sure that my sins had been forgiven. People would inist that my “faith” assured my forgiveness, but I wasn’t convinced by a scriptural argument (as there are dozens of “scriptural arguments” on which there are two sides who are equally convinced). The direct words and actions of the Church, between myself and a priest, are much more assuring.
 
What if you feel you are overstepping by correcting the priest? Couldn’t that be taken as challenging his authority? How would one go about that in a non-offending way?
 
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rotlex said:
Not it’s not. But my faith is strong enough to believe that He forgives me even if His servants error. I’m sorry. To feel any differently is absolutely ridiculous.
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It’s not that we’re not forgiven or that god’s forgiveness is dependent on the whims of a particular priest but rather that it’s importance is such that it’s something which has to be observed strictly. Words are important when it comes to legal matters (whcih is what we’re dealing with here, in one sense at least) and the more that’s at stake the more important it is to adhere strictly to the right way of doing things which includes the right words; “forgiveness” and “absolution” are not the same thing! God’s forgiveness is of course not limited to the sacrament and it exists for our sake not His. That’s why though it’s important that it’s done properly - so that penitents like the OP (and I’ve been in this situation sort of situation myself) aren’t left wondering whether or not they’re confession was valid. Repeating the confession ensures this and puts the penitent’s mind at ease by removing any doubt.
 
rotlex said:
So you believe that if you make a good confession, are truly sorry for your sins, and the priest doesn’t say the right words, God won’t forgive you? Sorry, that sounds to me like you put more faith in man than God.

As you state. Forgiveness is something God does, not the priest. If you truly believe that, God is forgiving you even if the “man” makes a mistake.
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How about the priest simply does his job right, and we avoid such needless debates. While I’m inclined to agree with your sentiment in this case, why should even an inch of abuse be tolerated, less it lead to a yard?
Besides, your second statement can be used to argue against confession to a priest entirely.
 
I’m not saying a priest not doing his job properly should be tolerated at all. It should not, and they should be corrected. My whole point was that to tell someone that they have to re-confess their same sins over again due to this absurd.

The OP is questioning this. He is being told he should re-confess. OK, great, go ahead, I mean it’s not going to hurt anything. With that said, some will take that as if I DON’T do that and get hit by a bus tomorrow I’m not getting to heaven.

As far as my statement being used an an argument against confession to a priest? I suppose it could, but that was not the intent of the statement. With that said, :), I generally try to get to confession once a week. However, I also believe that if I die before getting there and have a truly contrite heart, God is still going to give me a chance. Take that back to the original conversation and tell someone that actually went to confession that it’s not valid. That is what is absurd to me.

Anyway, God bless all. Didn’t mean to cause any arguments.
 
This is your personal opinion. You have a right to one. However, neither your personal opinion, nor mine, nor that of anyone else matters. What matters is what the Catholic Church tells us what matters. If you want to believe this and put your soul in mortal jeopardy you are free so to do. All that other posters on here, including a priest, have tried to do is inform you of what the Catholic Church teaches. They were not telling you their opinions. They were trying to explain theology to you.
 
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