Could nuns hear confessions?

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Yes indeed. It’s a central part of Orthodox and I assume Eastern Catholic monasticism.
 
Seraphim73 said:
St Symeon the New Theologian argued vociferously for the practice of confessing to lay monastic spiritual fathers. The idea isn’t nearly as alien to Catholicism as some think. Of course I’d be willing to bet most of you have never heard of him before. 😛
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Is this the man you are talking about?


Some quotes of his:
In Hymns of Divine Love Symeon wrote that:
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Listen only to the advice of your spiritual father,
answer him with humility
and, as to God, tell him your thoughts,
even to a simple meditation, without hiding anything,
do nothing without his advice
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Be careful, I beg you, never to assume the debts of others when you are a debtor yourself; do not dare give absolution without having received in your heart the One who takes away the sin of the world
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Jack007 said:
Is this the man you are talking about?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symeon_the_New_Theologian#mediaviewer/File:Simeon_novyj.jpg

Some quotes of his:
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Interestingly enough in that last quote St Symeon was defending the practice of both confessing to lay monastics and receiving absolution from them. The case he was making was that the ability to hear confession and give absolution was a gift from God, a gift that some priests did not have and that some particularly holy lay monastics did have. From what I understand that question caused a lot of controversy during his life.
 
Seraphim73 said:
Interestingly enough in that last quote St Symeon was defending the practice of both confessing to lay monastics and receiving absolution from them. The case he was making was that the ability to hear confession and give absolution was a gift from God, a gift that some priests did not have and that some particularly holy lay monastics did have. From what I understand that question caused a lot of controversy during his life.
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:confused:
 
It strikes me that some may just be playing with words here. I’ll bet my last silver dime and my last cream filled donut that when the OP asked about nuns “hearing confessions” he/she specifically and narrowly meant administering the Sacrament of Penace and Reconcilation…which I’ll likewise bet is the meaning intended 99% of the time by the phrase “hearing confessions.” :yup:

.
 
Jack007 said:
I mean, the last quote does not say that.

I did select the quotes based on the thread topic.
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Have you read the entire work from St Symeon that the quote was taken from? In that work St Symeon argues that lay monastics can hear confessions and give absolution.
 
oldgraymare2 said:
Hi Rob,
I don’t think that I have ever seen this happen in any parish that I have been in for confession, where the line is held up for fifteen minutes because a woman is using it for counseling purposes.
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I have. Once and a while, I have had to go to another Church for confession. And there are several middle aged women at this particular parish that use the confessional as a “chat session,” for lack of better words. If they’re ahead of you in line, you’re in for a long hall. Not that I listen, because it’s unavoidable it’s so loud, but I’ve even heard laughter coming from the confessional, as if they’re exchanging jokes or something. :rolleyes: Needless to say, I try my darndest to avoid going to confession there if I can avoid it!

Peace, Mark
 
Mark121359 said:
I have. Once and a while, I have had to go to another Church for confession. And there are several middle aged women at this particular parish that use the confessional as a “chat session,” for lack of better words. If they’re ahead of you in line, you’re in for a long hall. Not that I listen, because it’s unavoidable it’s so loud, but I’ve even heard laughter coming from the confessional, as if they’re exchanging jokes or something. :rolleyes: Needless to say, I try my darndest to avoid going to confession there if I can avoid it!

Peace, Mark
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Why are you listening to someone else’s confession? :confused:
 
Mark121359 said:
As I clearly stated, it was unavoidable. The laughter was so loud. And I was twenty feet away from the confessional! What would you suggest I do…hold my hands over my ears? 🤷

Peace, Mark
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It’s always avoidable. That being said I’m not sure what can be gleaned from hearing someone laugh. Unless someone could hear what was being said there’s no way they could characterize what they were doing as a counselling session. And anyway where did the idea come from that the priest isn’t supposed to give the penitent advice in the confessional?
 
Seraphim73 said:
It’s always avoidable. That being said I’m not sure what can be gleaned from hearing someone laugh. Unless someone could hear what was being said there’s no way they could characterize what they were doing as a counselling session. And anyway where did the idea come from that the priest isn’t supposed to give the penitent advice in the confessional?
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You seem to have an answer for everything…though not always the right one 😉

Peace, Mark
 
At the abbey where I normally attend Mass, the confessional is open from 10:30 am until Mass starts at 11. The acoustics in the church are excellent. During Mass we kept hearing very loud talking coming from the rear of the church. I mean LOUD, a female voice. I went back to see what was going on and ask the person to hush as Mass was going on, only to realize it was coming from the confessional, of all places. The confession which started some time before Mass, ended up going well into Mass.

Although I couldn’t distinguish what was being said, there was no way to avoid hearing. I imagine it was “one of those days” for the abbey’s regular confessor… :eek:
 
I was pointing out that his answer was wrong in the sense that he said it’s always avoidable to hear someone’s confession when I made reference to hearing *** LOUD!* ** laughter coming from the confessional. What would you suggest we do? Everyone within ear shot could hear. I’ll say it for the last time…IT WAS UNAVOIDABLE!!!

Peace, Mark
 
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