Confession to orthodox priest

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I’m in Mykonos, Greece, right now, and there is currently no Catholic priest here during the week. However, I might be in a state of mortal sin and am wondering if it’s ok to try to find an Orthodox priest who would hear my confession. Is this ok under the circumstances of not having a Catholic priest available?
 
There is a Catholic church on Mykonos, if it isn’t staffed during the week, wait until the weekend.

If you have a terrible accident or become seriously ill and in danger of death, they are likely to airlift you out of there anyhow to a medical center in a large metropolis where you won’t have this problem.

Theoretically, a Greek priest might be able to hear your confession in the case of a rare, true emergency. But there is a good chance they won’t anyhow as the priest might not think its appropriate.
 
Depending upon the age of the Greek Orthodox priest, he might not be able to speak English or any other language you speak. It might be best to contact the Catholic Church on Mykonos and ask if the priest they are sending to the island speaks English or one of your other languages and that you need to go to confession before the Liturgy.
 
Actually, when we interpret the law, one of the things that must be borne in mind is that any canon which grants a favor is to be interpreted broadly, and any canon which punishes is to be interpreted strictly. So a canon which grants the faithful the ability to access the sacraments in cases where they are unable to approach a Catholic minister for them is one which bestows a favor and should be interpreted as broadly as possible. The canon simply does not say that the person must be in danger of death, only that they are physically or morally impeded from approaching a Catholic priest. If you are in Greece, and in a remote area, and unable to get to a Catholic priest, the law allows you to receive the sacraments from an Orthodox priest. There isn’t any need for discussion of supplied jurisdiction, since the law does not actually bind Orthodox priests, but only Catholics, and so the law cannot supply jurisdiction to an Orthodox priest.

In short, this is a canon where as much leeway as possible is granted. If it doesn’t say danger of death, it doesn’t mean danger of death.

-Fr ACEGC
 
Not unless you’re in danger of death. I know someone is probably going to say: “Ah! Well actually you can because the Canon says:” but this is just what I would do. And you also mentioned that you “might” be in a state of mortal sin. I would t approach confession in your case unless I were ABSOLUTELY certain that I was in a state of mortal sin.
 
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Again, this is not true. Canon 844 s.2 simply says that the faithful who are “physically or morally impeded” from approaching a Catholic priest may approach a non-Catholic minister from a Church with valid sacraments.
 
edward_george1 said:
Actually, when we interpret the law, one of the things that must be borne in mind is that any canon which grants a favor is to be interpreted broadly, and any canon which punishes is to be interpreted strictly.
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Where does it say this? (Genuinely curious)
 
Thank you for your ruling, Holy Father. I assume you’ll soon be revising the Code of Canon Law?
😛
 
I apologize for the sarcasm, but it remains a valid canon promulgated by a saint.
The German inter-communion proposal is also, to my mind, a very different situation from limited inter-communion with the Eastern Churches.
 
It’s not really up to you to judge whether “too many concessions” are granted by a law. It’s up to the mind of the legislator. Until we have some kind of ruling from Rome that 844 s.2 does not allow Catholics to receive the sacraments from Orthodox clergy, the law is what the law is.

-Fr ACEGC
 
And just as a little follow up, when we interpret and apply Canon Law, it doesn’t matter what our theories on a given canon might be or a given practice. What matters is what the law currently in force actually says. There are a few practices enshrined in Canon and liturgical law that I have serious concerns about. But I am a servant of what has been handed on to me, and it doesn’t much matter what my opinions are on those sorts of things. Applying the law isn’t about what we think the law should be, it’s about what the law is.
 
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