Confession questions from a non-catholic

[ShyFirstTimer]

I am a Christian,but not a Catholic. I have got a massive problem in my life at the moment,with no-one I can trust to take to about it. I have been thinking about confession,as that would be anonymous and yet would allow me to get things off my chest,but I’m obviously not au fait with the process and how to go about it.Are there set times at churches for confession? Do priests listen to non-catholics? Any help or advice anyone can provide would be appreviated.

Thanks in advance

 

[po18guy]

The general rule is that one should be in full communion with the Church before receiving the Sacraments. Having said that, the Lord will not refuse a repentant sinner. While we can absolutely confess to God, and receive absolution, our Lord set it up so that we actually hear the words of absolution (Mark 2:5, Luke 5:20, Luke 7:48) and thus we are 100% certain that we have been forgiven. No doubts. I would call your local parish office and ask to speak with Father.

What is bothering you is very important, and I am certain that the priest will recognize this and act upon it - after all, your eternal destiny is at stake. Prayers ascending on your behalf.

 

[PaulfromIowa]

Yes, Catholic Churches have times for confession. The sacraments are ordinarily for Catholics, except in extreme situations such as danger of death.

I understand your desire to be anonymous, but I would not recommend walking in and entering the confessional without preparation. If you did so, tell the priest that you are not Catholic but have something to confess anyway. The better course would be to make an appointment with a priest and tell him what you have said here. Priests often counsel non-Catholics who seek advice and guidance, and you can count on their discretion.

 

[Elf01]

In addition to that it sounds like they may need some time so it’s probably better to make an appointment than approach at the scheduled time.

I don’t think the OP would have a good experience if there was a queue or the Priest was concerned about one.

 

[Limoncello4021]

Just call your local Catholic parish and make an appointment with a priest to discuss the matter. He doesn’t know you and won’t judge, and he will give you advice. That’s better than popping into confession as a non-Catholic and taking him off guard, although you can do that if you want.

 

[TheLittleLady]

Do call and make an appointment.

While you do not have to go into details, also do not be too vague about the topic you want to discuss:

Tell the parish secretary that you are not Catholic, but, “I have been battling atheism or my spouse cheated on me or I cheated on my spouse or I am beginning to despair that God does not love me or I am struggling with the nature of the Trinity or I am battling anorexia…” or whatever the gist of your problem is and ask for an appointment with a priest.

Calling with a vague “I just need to talk to a priest about a personal problem” is often how people who are looking to scam money often call.