Does the Pope go to confession?

[JReducation]

I should add a PS here, for the sake of clarity. The Friars Minor are one order, with three different General Ministers and councils. Each has been given a special assignment in the Church.

The Conventual Friars Minor are assigned to St. Peter’s.

The Capuchin Friars Minor are assigned to the papal household.

The Observant Friars Minor have been given the full custody of the Holy Land.

Until this century, there were not other communities of Franciscans that followed the Rule of the Friars Minor. It was easy to assign them what was considered delicate assignments. They were assigned to these posts for their scholarship and their special ministry to the poor, the penitent and works of peace.

It’s easy to get them confused, because everyone calls all of us, “Franciscans.” We are. But there are over 100 branches to the Franciscan Order. The Friars Minor is the oldest and it has three arms.

Fraternally,

Br.JR, OSF

 

[Marie5890]

I should add a PS here, for the sake of clarity. The Friars Minor are one order, with three different General Ministers and councils. Each has been given a special assignment in the Church.

The Conventual Friars Minor are assigned to St. Peter’s.

The Capuchin Friars Minor are assigned to the papal household.

The Observant Friars Minor have been given the full custody of the Holy Land.

Until this century, there were not other communities of Franciscans that followed the Rule of the Friars Minor. It was easy to assign them what was considered delicate assignments. They were assigned to these posts for their scholarship and their special ministry to the poor, the penitent and works of peace.

It’s easy to get them confused, because everyone calls all of us, “Franciscans.” We are. But there are over 100 branches to the Franciscan Order. The Friars Minor is the oldest and it has three arms.

Fraternally,

Br.JR, OSF

Goodness Bro Jay,

How DO you keep all this information straight in your head?

Do ya got “cheat sheet” or Cliff notes or some’thin???

 

[JReducation]

Goodness Bro Jay,

How DO you keep all this information straight in your head?

Do ya got “cheat sheet” or Cliff notes or some’thin???

Now you know why it takes 6 to 10 years to become a solemnly professed Franciscan Brother.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[Marie5890]

Now you know why it takes 6 to 10 years to become a solemnly professed Franciscan Brother.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[AlexPetrosPio]

Now you know why it takes 6 to 10 years to become a solemnly professed Franciscan Brother.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

I’m still looking at 8 years ahead of me. (I’m just starting formation into the Conventuals, if the pro-Conventual posts didn’t tip that off enough )

 

[JReducation]

I’m still looking at 8 years ahead of me. (I’m just starting formation into the Conventuals, if the pro-Conventual posts didn’t tip that off enough )

You mean to solemn vows, right?

It took me 8 1/2 years, but I already a degree when I entered.

I did:

2 yr Postulant

18 months Novice

5 yrs Simple Vows

Then solemn vows

During the 5 yrs as a student friar I went to get my STD.

Will be praying for you.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[Zekariya]

The pope goes to confession like anyone else. He has to follow the same rite as anyone else. He cannot pick and choose between the old rite or the new rite. That is the choice of the confessor.

Like any Catholic, he has the right to choose his confessor. For almost 500 years the official confessors and preachers to the papal household have been the Capuchin Franciscan Brothers. Someone said the Conventual Franciscans, right religious order, wrong obedience. It’s the Capuchin obedience who has that job.

However, that is not a law. That is a tradition. Any pope can change this. He can hire the Maryknoll Missionaries to serve the papal household. It’s his household. If he wants to use the older rite, he can hire the FSSP to serve. If he wishes, he can even have a confessor from one of the Eastern Churches, since he is the Pontiff over the entire Catholic Church, he can hire anyone. What he cannot do is command the confessor to use the rite of his preference. No penitent can exercise that kind of authority over a confessor.

In confession, the pope is just another Catholic and the confessor has all the authority, just like when you and I go to confession. We can’t dictate to the priest what we want or our preferences. We take what he uses or find a confessor whom we like better.

Popes have traditionally gone to confession face to face for centuries. The screen is pretty useless when you’re called into the papal chapel to hear the pope’s confession. The anonymity is shot. When going to confession face to face, you rarely kneel. But he can kneel or sit. There is chair as well as a kneeler.

The confessor never kneels to hear a confession, regardless whose confession it is. The exception to this would be an injured person laying on the ground. Then you have to kneel to hear him. In the confessional, the figure of authority is the confessor, not the penitent.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

In the Orthodox Church (and I assume Eastern Catholic Church), the If the bishop confesses to a priest, the priest kneels. Laus tibi Christe!

 

[Nat682]

BVM…since its been like 20 minutes I thought I’d just throw it out there.

The BVM was born without original sin. She was not, however, immune from committing sins herself; to say that she was would be a grave contradiction of the Catholic faith. Her Son is the only person who was completely free from sin.

The sacrament of reconciliation is to absolve the guilt of sins that the penitent actually committed him/herself. The sacrament of baptism is what cleanses the soul from original sin.

 

[Rico_G]

The BVM was born without original sin. She was not, however, immune from committing sins herself; to say that she was would be a grave contradiction of the Catholic faith. Her Son is the only person who was completely free from sin.

Not true: ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/jp2bvm24.htm

 

[White_Peony]

Of course! The Pope is just as much a sinner as you and I!

 

[JReducation]

In the Orthodox Church (and I assume Eastern Catholic Church), the If the bishop confesses to a priest, the priest kneels. Laus tibi Christe!

I don’t know what the Eastern Catholics do. They have their own canons and customs. In the Latin Church that has never been the case. The man before you is a penitent and the man on the other side is Christ. We don’t kneel to hear the confession of a bishop.

On another note, someone said, “The pope is as much a sinner as I am.” St. Francis taught us the following, “No one is ever as great a sinner as you are. You are the worst of sinner, the most wretched and the most despicable. Therefore, you must never see the sin of another, but only you own.”

Then he taught us to say the following whenever we think of others as sinners, “I am what I am before God, nothing else.”

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[LilyM]

The BVM was born without original sin. She was not, however, immune from committing sins herself; to say that she was would be a grave contradiction of the Catholic faith. Her Son is the only person who was completely free from sin.

The sacrament of reconciliation is to absolve the guilt of sins that the penitent actually committed him/herself. The sacrament of baptism is what cleanses the soul from original sin.

Not so. Ineffabilis Deus, the document proclaiming the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, refers in numerous places to Mary’s freedom from ALL stain of any kind of sin. So even though it is not said explicitly in the definition section, it can be taken as read that part and parcel of the dogma is that she was indeed free from personal as well as original sin.

The difference between her and Christ is the same as the difference between her Assumption and His Ascension into heaven. Every grace and privilege granted to Mary, including her utter sinlessness, is by way of divine gift and not through any power of her own. Every perfection and prerogative of Christ’s is by way of His very own divine nature and the powers attaching thereto.

 

[Nat682]

Not so. Ineffabilis Deus, the document proclaiming the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, refers in numerous places to Mary’s freedom from ALL stain of any kind of sin. So even though it is not said explicitly in the definition section, it can be taken as read that part and parcel of the dogma is that she was indeed free from personal as well as original sin.

The difference between her and Christ is the same as the difference between her Assumption and His Ascension into heaven. Every grace and privilege granted to Mary, including her utter sinlessness, is by way of divine gift and not through any power of her own. Every perfection and prerogative of Christ’s is by way of His very own divine nature and the powers attaching thereto.

This probably belongs in the apologetics forums instead of here, but just to make sure I have this straight: We say that only Jesus Christ is sinless because only he is sinless in his own right, by his own essence. The BVM, on the other hand, is sinless only because of the grace of God in the person of Jesus Christ. She is not divine like Jesus is. Am I correct in this?

 

[LilyM]

This probably belongs in the apologetics forums instead of here, but just to make sure I have this straight: We say that only Jesus Christ is sinless because only he is sinless in his own right, by his own essence. The BVM, on the other hand, is sinless only because of the grace of God in the person of Jesus Christ. She is not divine like Jesus is. Am I correct in this?

Got it in one!

 

[MissRose73]

I am sure the Pope goes to Confession. Like one priest said last year at a Communal Penance Service I attended with opportunity for private confession & absolution: “We are ALL sinners”.

 

[JReducation]

The BVM was born without original sin. She was not, however, immune from committing sins herself; to say that she was would be a grave contradiction of the Catholic faith. Her Son is the only person who was completely free from sin.

The sacrament of reconciliation is to absolve the guilt of sins that the penitent actually committed him/herself. The sacrament of baptism is what cleanses the soul from original sin.

Whoah! Where did you get that from?

Even Christ was tempted. Like her son, through his merits, she is preserved from the possibility of committing sin. It is not a grave contradiction of the Catholic faith. It is a required belief of the Catholic and the Orthodox faith.

Though the Orthodox believe that she was born immaculate and we know that she was conceived immaculate. There is our disagreement, but in the rest, all of the Apostolic Churches believe not only that Mary was sinless, but that she was protected from the possibility of committing a sin. As the angel said, “full of grace”. In theology this means, “full of divine life.” One who is filled, to the brim, with divine life, is 100% protected from committing sin.

If you’re saying that she retained her free will, this is true. So did Christ. His humanity is complete with free will. But the grace given to her guides that free will.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[saveusfromhell]

Whoah! Where did you get that from?

Even Christ was tempted. Like her son, through his merits, she is preserved from the possibility of committing sin. It is not a grave contradiction of the Catholic faith. It is a required belief of the Catholic and the Orthodox faith.

Though the Orthodox believe that she was born immaculate and we know that she was conceived immaculate. There is our disagreement, but in the rest, all of the Apostolic Churches believe not only that Mary was sinless, but that she was protected from the possibility of committing a sin. As the angel said, “full of grace”. In theology this means, “full of divine life.” One who is filled, to the brim, with divine life, is 100% protected from committing sin.

If you’re saying that she retained her free will, this is true. So did Christ. His humanity is complete with free will. But the grace given to her guides that free will.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

i love reading your posts jreducation, it’s great to read someone’s posts that you know are 100percent factual.

 

[jesusmylover]

If so… who does he confess to?

Of course, he does like Every christians. Even if he is the peter successor, he still a human, so he need the reconciliation sacrament.