Doesn't matter, just curious -- about validity of general absolution

  • Thread starter Thread starter ascetic
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
A

ascetic

Guest
My parents live in a rural area. Even today, the pastor has charge over three local parishes. Two pastors ago, they had a long serving priest who has since gone on to his eternal reward. He used to grant general absolutions in a very good service where he really did bring the idea and feeling of Christs’ mercy to people but stay if anyone wanted to see him. I know that priests are allowed to do this under some circumstances, and my intent is not to ascertain whether or not the situation falls into that category. Nor is my intent to ponder scandal.

My question is whether or not those absolutions are valid, or if the parishoners still live under those sins (assuming that the general absolutions did not fall into the category). Would the parishoners be responsible for knowing the CCC, and therefore know that they had to see him personally(same assumption)? It’s not an issue for me since I was only there for one of them, years ago, and have confessed many times since then in a confessional, face-to-face. It’s not an issue for my folks, either. I’m just wondering.
 
Last edited:
I can let someone else talk about validity, but for what it’s worth, I live in a poor, rural parish where the pastor has charge over two parishes. And, of course, mine isn’t his home base. 😛 We just borrow him for an hour on Wednesday night and an hour on Sunday morning. 🙂 This year, we had a new priest, and we didn’t even get any Triduum services at our church-- we had to travel a minimum of 30-45 minutes to get to a Holy Thursday/Good Friday/Easter Vigil service, whereas in past years, the priest was kind enough to at least give us either Holy Thursday or Good Friday.

Anyhow. Unless you specifically ask the priest for a private appointment before or after church on those two days, he generally only offers confession twice in a year: once during Lent, once during Advent. And if you miss either of those, it’s easy to go over a year without having Confession, unless you specifically travel to another parish, or ask him for the favor of his time.

So, with your priest being in charge of three parishes, I suspect that might be something that he was trying to avoid— having people going for years without absolution, because they didn’t happen to make it to the one scheduled Confession of the year.
 
midori said:
So, with your priest being in charge of three parishes, I suspect that might be something that he was trying to avoid— having people going for years without absolution, because they didn’t happen to make it to the one scheduled Confession of the year.
Click to expand...
The CCC covers this case pretty explicitly, I think.

1483. … Grave necessity can also exist when, given the number of penitents, there are not enough confessors to hear individual confessions properly in a reasonable time, so that the penitents through no fault of their own would be deprived of sacramental grace or Holy Communion for a long time. In this case, for the absolution to be valid the faithful must have the intention of individually confessing their sins in the time required.

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P4H.HTM
 
midori said:
Unless you specifically ask the priest for a private appointment before or after church on those two days, he generally only offers confession twice in a year…
Click to expand...
If he offers Mass twice a week, he can offer Confession as well. Providing the sacraments is the highest duty of a pastor. You should speak to him politely about this.
 
From the Modern Catholic Dictionary, by Fr. John Hardon, S.J.:
GENERAL CONFESSION. The term has two different meanings, both referring to the reception of the sacrament of penance. Most commonly, it means a private confession where the penitent (exceptionally) resolves to confess as far as he or she can all past sins, and not only those since the last confession. The practice is recommended when a person is entering on a new state of life – the priesthood, religious life, or marriage – and is required in some religious institutes by rule to be done annually.
Click to expand...
And, it continues:
Less often, general confession is associated with the granting of general absolution. When general absolution may be validly given, the provision for general confession is that “the penitents who wish to receive absolution” are invited “to indicate this by some kind of sign.” The penitents then say a general formula for confession, for example, “I confess to almighty God.” However, one of the necessary dispositions for receiving valid absolution, when only a general confession was made, is that the penitent “resolve to confess in due time each one of the grave sins which he cannot confess at present.”
Click to expand...
This has been explained as in cases where “the ship is sinkiing” or “the airplane is crashing” and there is no time for individual reconciliation. The routine granting of general absolution seems to have popped up in the 60s or 70s. AFAIK, routine general absolution without individual confession is not valid.

To be certain, it would be best to speak with Father regarding any given situation.
 
I remember being in a class where the priest was making the case for why form 3 of the sacrament of Reconciliation was perfectly valid and should be offered frequently in all parishes. At that point Rome had already made it clear that what we had been experiencing in Canada of form 3 every year during Lent and Advent was not to be done anymore. “If you follow the form for Confession there is supposed to be a reading from Scriptures, plus this, plus this, plus this, etc. You simply don’t have time to properly do form 1 if you have a lot of penitents.”

Er, you think maybe that’s why the Church has form 2 which takes care of that problem for you?
 
I would imagine that this situation would be known to the priest’s bishop. If the bishop has given his okay for the priest to offer general absolution, it is all good.
My $.02
 
joeybaggz said:
I would imagine that this situation would be known to the priest’s bishop. If the bishop has given his okay for the priest to offer general absolution, it is all good.
My $.02
Click to expand...
Here is one article on this subject. To offer general absolution for convenience sake is not acceptable. During the “busy” seasons of Advent and Lent, we scheduled daily times during the week before the main event. During these seasons, we usually have Missions and on the last night, confessions. At that time, our pastor makes sure that their are at least 6-8 priests available, placed in different corners and areas of the church and chapel. Only under certain emergency situations, is general absolution allowed:

 
Last edited:
You’e joking, right? You are referring to the proper emergency use of the general absolution. I am referring to the abuse of the Sacrament by the regular peacetime, non-emergency granting of general absolution. IME, this has rarely been accompanied by the teaching that one must seek the Sacrament of Penance in an expeditious manner.
 
midori said:
And if you miss either of those, it’s easy to go over a year without having Confession, unless you specifically travel to another parish, or ask him for the favor of his time.
Click to expand...
Yet, the requirement isn’t "go to confession at your parish, with your pastor, but simply “go to confession.” If ya’ll might go to Triduum services a half an hour away… might you not go to confession there, throughout the year? Might you not call your pastor and ask, “would you be able to hear my confession some Wednesday evening or Sunday morning?”
So, with your priest being in charge of three parishes, I suspect that might be something that he was trying to avoid— having people going for years without absolution, because they didn’t happen to make it to the one scheduled Confession of the year.
Click to expand...
Umm… except that the service in question was precisely a “scheduled confession of the year.” In other words, they were present for confession… but chose not to avail themselves of it.

Oh – and by the way, you’re not “borrowing him for one hour on Wednesday and on Sunday”. If I understand you correctly, he’s assigned to your parish… so he’s your priest. 😉
BartholomewB said:
The CCC covers this case pretty explicitly, I think.
Click to expand...
The Church has spoken on what this means. I don’t have the time at the moment to quote the clarification, but the gist of the clarification is “you can’t say “I’m only here for an hour, so ya’ll get general absolution”…”
 
po18guy said:
You’e joking, right?
Click to expand...
Not at all.
po18guy said:
You are referring to the proper emergency use of the general absolution.
Click to expand...
Constant warfare was the general state of Europe for centuries whether a baron fighting the next earl over, or kings fighting with their levies.

When it is known that battle is coming within the week, the word “emergency” becomes strained.

hawk
 
But I am not addressing medieval Europe, 20th century Europe, or Europe at all.

I am addressing the here and now, in accord with the OP. Post-V2 non-emergent abuse of the Sacraments, from which we have yet to fully recover. You do realize that in our local parishes in 2018 we are not in shooting wars? Thus, there is no need for scheduled, regular, repetitive general absolution, since the rest of the year is available for individual confessions.

Are we having two different conversations?
 
Last edited:
This can fall under general penitential service. If the priest decides to do it this way, I would have no problem accepting absolution.

It is akin to general amnesty where for every important occasion the government would grant it for a huge number of prisoners to be set free.

Remembering that in Catholicism, even though personal Confession is the most common recognised form of the Sacrament, forgiveness of sin in other occasions when necessary is valid too. In this case it is general absolution.
 
Last edited:
I believe that the absolution is valid with the condition that the people involved go and mention those sins at the earliest reasonable opportunity.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top