Confession and Absolution

[garysibio]

I gotta thnk that, in the course of 2,000 years, this has happened at least once or twice:

Hypothetical situation: Someone makes his confession and does so sincerely, but, for some reason the priest mistakenly believes he is not sincere or he has a grudge against the penitent or whatever other reason, the priest refuses to absolve the penitent. Is the penitent forgiven or not?

I’m not saying this is common, I would think it’s extremely rare, but, like I said, it’s gotta have happened, however rarely. No agenda, just curiosity.

 

[jsaldar]

I wasn’t aware that such a scenario could happen. Very good question, it makes you think, that since this person was sincerely sorry Jesus would forgive his or her sins given the fact that He knows people’s hearts.

However, Jesus did allow priest to become the mediator between Him and men.

“Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” --Matthew 16:17-19

Let’s look at this closely, “whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Therefore, If a priest believes a person is not sincere of heart he could technically withold absolution of sins. This priest however, should have a good just reason for thinking that the penitent is not truly sorry, if not he himself could be committing a grave sin for trying to usurp the Lord’s sole power of judging a soul.

 

[beth40n2]

Baltimore Catechism No. 3 - Lesson 17
LESSON SEVENTEENTH: On the Sacrament of Penance

Q. 727. Does the priest ever refuse absolution to a penitent?

A. The priest must and does refuse absolution to a penitent when he thinks the penitent is not rightly disposed for the Sacrament. He sometimes postpones the absolution till the next confession, either for the good of the penitent or for the sake of better preparation – especially when the person has been a long time from confession.

 

[garysibio]

Baltimore Catechism No. 3 - Lesson 17
LESSON SEVENTEENTH: On the Sacrament of Penance

Q. 727. Does the priest ever refuse absolution to a penitent?

A. The priest must and does refuse absolution to a penitent when he thinks the penitent is not rightly disposed for the Sacrament. He sometimes postpones the absolution till the next confession, either for the good of the penitent or for the sake of better preparation – especially when the person has been a long time from confession.

I understand that there can be legitimate reasons for withholding absolution but that’s not what my question was about. Priests are human. They make mistakes. They might think a penitent is not sincere when he really is. Or, in an extreme example, may dislike someone so much that he refuses to absolve them out of vindictiveness. I believe these cases are extremely rare but it’s unreasonable to think they never happened.

 

[TheMc]

I understand that there can be legitimate reasons for withholding absolution but that’s not what my question was about. Priests are human. They make mistakes. They might think a penitent is not sincere when he really is. Or, in an extreme example, may dislike someone so much that he refuses to absolve them out of vindictiveness. I believe these cases are extremely rare but it’s unreasonable to think they never happened.

The answer is no, if the priest does no say the words of absolution, the person is not absolved. That being said, the person may have an act of perfect contrition, but that is beside the point.

 

[garysibio]

The answer is no, if the priest does no say the words of absolution, the person is not absolved. That being said, the person may have an act of perfect contrition, but that is beside the point.

Can you provide a source for that? It just seems to me that it is inconsistent with the belief in the mercy of God. A person could make a sincere confession of a mortal sin and still go to Hell because a priest was mistaken regarding his sincerity??? It just does not seminar right to me.

 

[garysibio]

My original question could also be reversed. What if someone makes an insincere confession and the priest absolves him. Is he forgiven?

 

[Batfink]

In reference to your second question, which is much shorter to answer, no. Someone who makes an insincere confession does not receive valid absolution though the words of absolution be spoken; that person is not forgiven.

With the first, try John 20: 23 “If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.”

If refused absolution, one could do either of two things:
a) go straight to another priest, explain the situation and confess again
b) examine oneself to see why the priest thought there was just reason to withold absolution and whether he might have been right. Try to fulfil any advice he gave and then return to confession.

You could make the same complaint against God’s mercy in numerous situations: what if someone were working out in a remote area of the world with no priests? What if they died suddenly without the chance to confess? What if they confessed to someone they believed to have the powers to validly and licitly absolve but it turns out he didn’t? What if…

Bottom line: God’s love and mercy are infinite. The Church’s legislation on the correct administration of the Sacraments is not. The Church tells us the conditions needed for a valid absolution of sins; where these are not met for any reason we leave it up to the mercy of God.

 

[garysibio]

In reference to your second question, which is much shorter to answer, no. Someone who makes an insincere confession does not receive valid absolution though the words of absolution be spoken; that person is not forgiven.

With the first, try John 20: 23 “If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.”

If refused absolution, one could do either of two things:
a) go straight to another priest, explain the situation and confess again
b) examine oneself to see why the priest thought there was just reason to withold absolution and whether he might have been right. Try to fulfil any advice he gave and then return to confession.

You could make the same complaint against God’s mercy in numerous situations: what if someone were working out in a remote area of the world with no priests? What if they died suddenly without the chance to confess? What if they confessed to someone they believed to have the powers to validly and licitly absolve but it turns out he didn’t? What if…

Bottom line: God’s love and mercy are infinite. The Church’s legislation on the correct administration of the Sacraments is not. The Church tells us the conditions needed for a valid absolution of sins; where these are not met for any reason we leave it up to the mercy of God.

Your point about going to another priest is a valid one so let’s alter the scenario a little. There are no other priests available.

Your answer seems contradictory. If an honest penitent can’t get forgiveness because no absolution was given, then it is the absolution which forgives the sin. In that cat the unrepentant person should be forgiven even though he wasn’t truly sorry because he received absolution. You’re trying to have it both ways.

 

[Batfink]

It’s not a matter of having it both ways, there are a number of conditions for a valid absolution; when all of these are met, the sins are absolved, when any of them are not met, the sins are not absolved. One of the conditions, in answer to your first question, is an actual absolution, clearly! Another, in answer to your second, is repentance on the part of the person who confesses.

There are ways to receive forgiveness without sacramental confession since God is not bound by his sacraments, these might or might not apply to your hypothetical sincerely repentant sinner. However, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is the ordinary way to receive forgiveness for mortal sins and, in the cases you have desribed, the people would not have validly received this sacrament.

 

[thistle]

I gotta thnk that, in the course of 2,000 years, this has happened at least once or twice:

Hypothetical situation: Someone makes his confession and does so sincerely, but, for some reason the priest mistakenly believes he is not sincere or he has a grudge against the penitent or whatever other reason, the priest refuses to absolve the penitent. Is the penitent forgiven or not?

I’m not saying this is common, I would think it’s extremely rare, but, like I said, it’s gotta have happened, however rarely. No agenda, just curiosity.

Assuming the penitent is genuinely sincere and does not understand why he is not given absolution he just has to go to another priest and confess again.