Confession valid if a priest is excommunicated latae sententiae

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Hello. If a make a confession to a priest that (as everyone could be) is excommunicated latae sententiae withou me knowing or just supposing, is the confession valid?

For example, a priest that does not hold the faith anymore, supports heresy (publicly or privately), etc, but is in good standing with the Ecclesiastical authority .

Thank you.
 
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imo said:
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Catechism
1128 This is the meaning of the Church’s affirmation 49 that the sacraments act ex opere operato (literally: “by the very fact of the action’s being performed”), i.e., by virtue of the saving work of Christ, accomplished once for all. It follows that “the sacrament is not wrought by the righteousness of either the celebrant or the recipient, but by the power of God.” 50 From the moment that a sacrament is celebrated in accordance with the intention of the Church, the power of Christ and his Spirit acts in and through it, independently of the personal holiness of the minister. Nevertheless, the fruits of the sacraments also depend on the disposition of the one who receives them.
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Vico said:
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imo:
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Catechism
1128 This is the meaning of the Church’s affirmation49 that the sacraments act ex opere operato (literally: “by the very fact of the action’s being performed”), i.e., by virtue of the saving work of Christ, accomplished once for all. It follows that “the sacrament is not wrought by the righteousness of either the celebrant or the recipient, but by the power of God.” 50 From the moment that a sacrament is celebrated in accordance with the intention of the Church, the power of Christ and his Spirit acts in and through it, independently of the personal holiness of the minister. Nevertheless, the fruits of the sacraments also depend on the disposition of the one who receives them.
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Hello. Thank you for your answer. I know this position, however, I question myself if there is a difference between a priest being just a bad priest and being really excommunicated latae sententiae, what would be more grave, let’s say. I am not sure if this quote really covers the second situation.
 
imo said:
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Hello. Thank you for your answer. I know this position, however, I question myself if there is a difference between a priest being just a bad priest and being really excommunicated latae sententiae, what would be more grave, let’s say. I am not sure if this quote really covers the second situation.
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You said a priest in good standing, which I take to mean that the faculties to hear confessions are present.
 
Vico said:
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imo:
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Hello. Thank you for your answer. I know this position, however, I question myself if there is a difference between a priest being just a bad priest and being really excommunicated latae sententiae, what would be more grave, let’s say. I am not sure if this quote really covers the second situation.
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You said a priest in good standing, which I take to mean that the faculties to hear confessions are present.
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Yes. But if he believes of profess a grave heresy secretly he would be excommunicated latae sententiae but the institutional Church would not know, hence the good standing.
 
imo said:
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Yes. But if he believes of profess a grave heresy secretly he would be excommunicated latae sententiae but the institutional Church would not know, hence the good standing.
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The sacraments do not depend upon the personal holiness of the priest and the priest still has faculties.
 
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If there is a priest hearing your confession, you can assume he has the faculties to do so. Full stop. If you assume so, and he doesn’t, the law supplies the faculty. It’s what’s called “common error.”

That said, are you suffering from scrupulosity?
 
edward_george1 said:
If there is a priest hearing your confession, you can assume he has the faculties to do so. Full stop. If you assume so, and he doesn’t, the law supplies the faculty. It’s what’s called “common error.”

That said, are you suffering from scrupulosity?
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I don’t think it is a scrupulous question, because it shall be a very possible situation that a priest stops rejects some important point of the Catholic doctrine secretly. Let’s think about all the pedophile priests. Much of them probably don´t have any faith. But they are doing all in secret, so they would have the faculties necessary. But in this case, would the confession be valid?
 
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imo said:
If a make a confession to a priest that (as everyone could be) is excommunicated latae sententiae withou me knowing or just supposing, is the confession valid?
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Concerning the priest’s ability to absolve even if “automatically” excommunicated: yes, he can still absolve (canon 1335).

There is no excommunication for “secret heresy”, by the way (c. 1330).

Dan
 
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acanonlawyer said:
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imo:
If a make a confession to a priest that (as everyone could be) is excommunicated latae sententiae withou me knowing or just supposing, is the confession valid?
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Concerning the priest’s ability to absolve even if “automatically” excommunicated: yes, he can still absolve (canon 1335).

There is no excommunication for “secret heresy”, by the way (c. 1330).

Dan
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Well, but a priest easily can be excommunicated latae sententiae (automatically) if he violate the secret of confession. He can tell someone in private, be excommunicated and nobody knows he did it, so he will not lose the faculty to hear confessions. He would have faculty being excommunicated.
 
imo said:
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Well, but a priest easily can be excommunicated latae sententiae (automatically) if he violate the secret of confession. He can tell someone in private, be excommunicated and nobody knows he did it, so he will not lose the faculty to hear confessions. He would have faculty being excommunicated.
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CIC
Can. 1330 A delict which consists in a declaration or in another manifestation of will, doctrine, or knowledge must not be considered completed if no one perceives the declaration or manifestation.

Can. 1335 If a censure prohibits the celebration of sacraments or sacramentals or the placing of an act of governance, the prohibition is suspended whenever it is necessary to care for the faithful in danger of death. If a latae sententiae censure has not been declared, the prohibition is also suspended whenever a member of the faithful requests a sacrament or sacramental or an act of governance; a person is permitted to request this for any just cause.
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