Confession help please

[MH84]

Hi, can someone advise me please.

I am planning to go to Confession on Good Friday at the parish I normally attend (after the 10.00am Stations of the Cross). There is no scheduled Confession between now and then at the parish.

The priest who is scheduled to hear confessions at that time is a fine priest. I have confessed with him previously, but probably not on a regular basis. However, English is his second language (I am in Australia), and when I talked to him recently after Mass, I get the impression that he doesn’t understand me properly. I have grown up in Australia but I probably also don’t speak clearly at times.

Is the validity of the Sacrament affected if the priest doesn’t understand or listen carefully to my confession? Is it okay to still confess with him, if I am not sure he will understand some of my Confession (because I tend to confess in detail and I usually read off notes I prepared earlier)?

 

[gvogt4]

Reading through the Code of Canon Law on the Sacrament,
vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P3E.HTM

I see nothing that would negatively impact the validity of the Sacrament. I would think the priest is judging your intent to confess all sins as well as contrition. If you still do not feel comfortable and would like to use an interpreter (not for me man) there are provisions

Can. 990 No one is prohibited from confessing through an interpreter as long as abuses and scandals are avoided and without prejudice to the prescript of ⇒ can. 983, §2.

 

[MH84]

Thanks for your response. He speaks well enough English even though he has a distinctive Asian accent. It is just that he may have difficulty understanding the Australian accent or maybe just my own accent. He has no trouble saying Mass at all, except he seems quite dependent on notes during his homilies. I don’t think he normally would ask me to repeast something if he doesn’t understand something I’ve said. I might be being scrupulous. But I am just not sure if the Confessor has to understand everything I say. Isn’t he just mediating between myself and God?

 

[LilyM]

Hi, can someone advise me please.

I am planning to go to Confession on Good Friday at the parish I normally attend (after the 10.00am Stations of the Cross). There is no scheduled Confession between now and then at the parish.

The priest who is scheduled to hear confessions at that time is a fine priest. I have confessed with him previously, but probably not on a regular basis. However, English is his second language (I am in Australia), and when I talked to him recently after Mass, I get the impression that he doesn’t understand me properly. I have grown up in Australia but I probably also don’t speak clearly at times.

Is the validity of the Sacrament affected if the priest doesn’t understand or listen carefully to my confession? Is it okay to still confess with him, if I am not sure he will understand some of my Confession (because I tend to confess in detail and I usually read off notes I prepared earlier)?

I’m sure in Australia that a priest who doesn’t understand enough English to comprehend confessions wouldn’t be hearing them in the first place, he’d not be permitted.

The only possible exception would be if it actually is a church specifically for a particular migrant community. And even then he would put a sign outside the confessional indicating that he only heard confessions in the languages he did understand.

If you still have concerns perhaps speak to the parish priest or local Bishop, or go elsewhere if you can.

 

[gvogt4]

You are confessing your sins to God through the priest.
Based on what you said, why not try saying before you start your confession something like “Father, I know I speak a little differently from other folks around here. Please let me know if you would like me to repeat anything.”

Don’t worry so much. We Catholics like to make things harder on ourselves than it really is. It’s great that you are getting to confession. Try to take advantage of the plenary indulgence offered on Divine Mercy Sunday.

divinemercysunday.com/

Going to sleep now. Gotta get up in less than 5 hours. I’ll pray for you tonight. God bless.

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

We have priests here in the US who don’t speak English as a first language, particularly from Africa, South America and parts of the Caribbean. If you speak clear English slowly, it shouldn’t be a big deal.

If it’s any comfort to you, my husband and I as children both had foreign languages spoken in the home as a matter of course; I, to pass on our ethnic culture, my husband to pass on ethnic culture and because his mother came from a European country to the US. We “hear” those languages much, much better than we speak them. We respond in English often to questions asked in those other languages. Maybe this priest does the same thing, but “translates” in his mind before he speaks to you in confession. In that case, he’d understand you, but just have to “filter” it from his ears and brain to his mouth. That takes time.