Confession breakup

[aball1035]

My Protestant friend wanted to know if a priest could make her break up with her boyfriend as penance for sexual sins. I said I don’t think so, but then i’m not really education in what a priest can or can’t do in confession. Any thoughts?

 

[passus]

No, he can’t, since their relationship isn’t inherently sinful. It’s their sexual sin that is. He could, however, encourage her to consider whether it would be possible for her to continue living chastely in a relationship with this boy.

 

[shuzo1189]

My Protestant friend wanted to know if a priest could make her break up with her boyfriend as penance for sexual sins. I said I don’t think so, but then i’m not really education in what a priest can or can’t do in confession. Any thoughts?

Having been a rather poor Catholic in Highschool I can say the priest will probably call it as he sees it. I have had Priests Encourage me to take a look at my life and ask my self if i can see my self with this person for as long as I can live… But as for being my penance that was never the case.

As an aspirant to the Religious Life (Only Two and a Half more years before i get my Bachelors and I can apply) the dating scene is a rather tricky situation.

I am more curious as to why your Protestant Friend will be going to a Priest for Confession? Unless this is just an intellectual exercise, but if she is she can not be absolved by the Priest unless she becomes a full member of Holy Mother Church.

 

[quiet52]

Tell your friend that she cannot participate in the sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) until she becomes Catholic. And before that happens, she must profess the faith – which means she would assent to all the Church teaches and professes. That would mean she would be striving not to commit any mortal sins. Cohabitation or any sexual activity outside of marriage is a mortal sin. During her preparation period (just prior to being received into the Catholic Church), she would then make a confession. If her confessor judges she’s not seriously penitent about the sexual sins and that she has no firm purpose of amendment, which means she has no intention to stop that sin, the priest would not absolve her from her sin. She would remain in a state of mortal sin (until she’s ready to stop the sin and return to confession). She’d not be ready to receive her first Eucharist until she’s in a state of grace.

So, no, the priest cannot make anyone break up with anyone. Just as Jesus honors our free will to choose Him or not to, someone choosing a sinful lifestyle has the choice to repent (turn away from sin) and choose Christ, or choose to remain in sin.

 

[Cluny]

Sounds to me like the question was simply an academic one not necessarily implying that the Protestant intended to go to a Catholic priest for confession.

 

[shuzo1189]

Sounds to me like the question was simply an academic one not necessarily implying that the Protestant intended to go to a Catholic priest for confession.

That’s what I was Guessing, and I thought the call to Chastity was also common to our Protestant Brothers and Sisters?

 

[LilyM]

No, he can’t, since their relationship isn’t inherently sinful. It’s their sexual sin that is. He could, however, encourage her to consider whether it would be possible for her to continue living chastely in a relationship with this boy.

Not in all cases - if one or other of them is married, for example, any sort of romantic relationship, sexual or not, would be inherently sinful, so the relationship as a whole must end.

Having said that, a priest would usually only suggest or advise such a thing, never require it per se.

Although if the relationship itself leaves her vulnerable to strong temptations, to which she’s succumbed frequently in the past, then the mere existence of the relationship can be said to put her in a constant occasion of sin. And if she indicated that in spite of confessing the sexual sin she was not willing to go so far as to avoid this occasion, the priest might well have cause to doubt how sincere her intend to amend her life was, and deny absolution. Technically a different thing to requiring the breakup as a penance, but same end result I guess.

 

[baltobetsy]

The girlfriend in question might have a Catholic boyfriend who’s thinking about going to confession for the sexual sins, and she’s probably afraid of getting dumped.

Betsy

 

[kage_ar]

The Priest could ask if the person intends to continue the sin, and if the person DOES intend to continue in the sin, the Priest would not be able to forgive the sin.

 

[Hudsonite]

My Protestant friend wanted to know if a priest could make her break up with her boyfriend as penance for sexual sins. I said I don’t think so, but then i’m not really education in what a priest can or can’t do in confession. Any thoughts?

No a Priest cant make you do anything against your will for one but the greater question would be this:

If she goes into the confessional with this sin in the first place than she would have to have true contrition for her sins which would mean that she would have to put a stop to her sexual desires and in order to do this she may want to break up with this boy.

We dont just go to the confessional to confess things that we do not intend on “fixing”