Forced Confession question

[Lapey]

I’ve known and seen Catholics even on CAF tell Baptized Catholics they are not Catholic so this was well said.

So when CCC says if one knows the Catholic Church is necessary for salvation and does not remain, they could not be saved… it’s not enough to simply know this is what the Catholic Church teaches? But you also must accept and believe it? And if one doesn’t or no longer does, they can be saved?

While I think a lot of things by pastors and laity for that matter can turn people off, a lack of gentleness is certainly one.

I don’t believe it does.

CMatt25?

I’ve been away for about a week so I was just catching up…Annabelle, you beat me to this. This is another version of CMATT25. Nice try Matt!

 

[Mary_Ellen]

By the way, one church I have attended recites the same profession of faith, however…

Other churches, when reciting " I believe in one, holy, CATHOLIC, and apostolic church" mean universal, not Catholic, as we do. It is NOT the same.

 

[Annabelle_Marie]

I was Catholic from many years, but for about 3 years I have been going to a non-Catholic church. My reasons for doing this were personal, not religious. I can now resume attending the CC, but I have a problem.

In a conversation about coming back my local priest said that I would have to go to confession before I could start receiving communion again. I don’t have a problem with this per se. But during the conversation it became clear that he meant I would have to confess to the sin of attending a non-Catholic church. The problem is that I don’t believe it was a sin.

So now I’m having a moral dilemma. I really want to come back to the Church, but if I confess something without believing it to be a sin just to get the priest to commune me, wouldn’t that be a sin also? And wouldn’t the confession be invalid?

If not for this issue I would have already returned, but I just haven’t been able to find any way around this problem.

Thanks to everyone for trying to help, but I am more torn than ever.

I did talk to the priest at length and the sin I would need to confess, according to him, is attending non-Catholic services. Not my missing Catholic mass or Easter duty. Which is part of the problem. From what I’ve read and studied it isn’t a sin to attend other services in my circumstances. I don’t believe I sinned by attending non-catholic services. And obviously a lot of you don’t either.

My problem isn’t in going to confession (which I did regularly for most of my life), it is in giving a confession that would basically be a lie.

It doesn’t seem like the priest is very understanding of the circumstances that caused the poster to leave. Priests in particular should realize that the Church has not always been welcoming and understanding and that many people have had bad experiences with the Church in the past. This priest doesn’t seem to be acting in a merciful or understanding priest. The OP should find another priest and parish. Missing Mass is sinful, but participating in another faith’s religious service is not sinful. If it was, then my parish must have been promoting sin when they sponsored a community service weekend with a local synagogue which included attending a Friday night Jewish service as part of the schedule. And bishops generally attend interreligious events.

I’m not the original poster. I just think he/ she should seek out another parish. Having a poor experience with a parish will cause him/ her to slip away from the faith again.

Kag…read through the OP’s post…listed at the top. What they are having a problem with is understanding the teaching . Yes…they should work through that. BUT no where do they say the priest is not merciful or understanding. The priest is instructioning in Catholic teaching.

Hopping around to parish after parish…in hopes to find a priest that will not instruct Catholic teaching is dangerous advice.

So…you can’t abide by a God that might allow us to have our own way? Even if that way leads us to hell? You seek to put limits on God? It really doesn’t matter what you think/feel…what matters is what the truth is…and that is what the priest is trying to instruct the OP on.

For the OP…hopefully from some of these posts you might get why going to protestant services for three years would need to be confessed…as basically seperating yourself from the Church…you want to be reconciled to the Church that you turned your back on…that would entail going to confession…especially if you received communion at the other church (you never said so I don’t know if that is the case or not–it was in my case). Going to a protestant service every now and then isn’t sinful as long as you meet your Sunday obligation…but could be dangerous as many of them are looking to “save” us from the evil Catholic Church. I get where you are at with not wanting to confess something you didn’t believe was a sin… If all that still doesn’t get you understanding then please make an appointment with your priest to discuss why it is sinful…in a gentle manner just convey that you want to understand.

 

[cheezey]

Other churches, when reciting " I believe in one, holy, CATHOLIC, and apostolic church" mean universal, not Catholic, as we do. It is NOT the same.

i know. thanks.

 

[Vico]

1. I don’t think that a loving God would do that. I just cannot abide by that.
2. I invite you to look up what our Holy Father says about the subject of evangelization and how it should be done. (Hint… by our actions not our words.)
3. I was away from the Church for nearly ten years due to a rash of issues with Catholic education and bad interactions with priests and nuns. I only returned a few years ago due to interactions with a wonderful parish. I was told by my pastor that questioning one’s faith was actually healthy because it leads to a more mature, adult faith. He’d actually be concerned if someone didn’t experience a period of doubts.

Reflect on this one thought. God gives us free will and respects that, such that when we choose to be apart from Him we are not forced to turn back. So that is how we can be eternally lost even though God is loving us.

 

[Elizium23]

Other churches, when reciting " I believe in one, holy, CATHOLIC, and apostolic church" mean universal, not Catholic, as we do. It is NOT the same.

I have a little news flash. Catholic is a Greek word that means… universal. When we say we are Catholic, we are saying that we belong to the universal Church. It’s that simple. It’s the same creed. Although I have seen Protestant service books with a little asterisk next to the word with the definition at the bottom, because otherwise it would tend to shock newcomers… “what church am I in, anyway?”

 

[kag1982]

Kag…read through the OP’s post…listed at the top. What they are having a problem with is understanding the teaching . Yes…they should work through that. BUT no where do they say the priest is not merciful or understanding. The priest is instructioning in Catholic teaching.

The priest doesn’t seem to me like he is being very merciful or understanding about the situation. And yes, according to Pope Francis, that is their main job. If this isn’t a huge problem in the Church, then it wouldn’t be something that the Holy Father feels the need to stress again and again.

There are good priests; however, there are many who lost their way. My parents and I joke that the priests at their local parish haven’t yet gotten the memo from upper management.

Hopping around to parish after parish…in hopes to find a priest that will not instruct Catholic teaching is dangerous advice.

The poster likely left the Church for personal reasons and priest/ nuns who aren’t merciful and helpful. I know that I became a lapsed Catholic because of very bad experiences with the Church growing up. In this case, joining a parish where he/ she feels uncomfortable is really a bad idea. Finding one where you feel comfortable and welcomed is key.

The way I read the situation is that the poster in general is that the priest told him/ her that going to the Protestant service was sinful. Some more conservative priests/ Catholics believe that to be the case. Even if that is not the case, it was phrased in such a way that made the poster understand it as such.

So…you can’t abide by a God that might allow us to have our own way? Even if that way leads us to hell? You seek to put limits on God? It really doesn’t matter what you think/feel…what matters is what the truth is…and that is what the priest is trying to instruct the OP on.

I cannot believe that a loving God would allow people who have lived a good life to go to Hell regardless of their religion. I’m not seeking to put “limits” on God. It just seems to me to fly in the face of a loving God.

 

[kag1982]

Reflect on this one thought. God gives us free will and respects that, such that when we choose to be apart from Him we are not forced to turn back. So that is how we can be eternally lost even though God is loving us.

So a Jewish person who chooses to follow his/ her birth religion rather than convert is “internally lost.” Again, I cannot abide by the fact that such a person faces damnation for that. For me, we turn our backs on God when we fail to live good lives and be good people, not because of the exact creed we follow.

 

[Annabelle_Marie]

So a Jewish person who chooses to follow his/ her birth religion rather than convert is “internally lost.” Again, I cannot abide by the fact that such a person faces damnation for that. For me, we turn our backs on God when we fail to live good lives and be good people, not because of the exact creed we follow.

Our salvation is not based on what we abide by…

 

[Annabelle_Marie]

The priest doesn’t seem to me like he is being very merciful or understanding about the situation. And yes, according to Pope Francis, that is their main job. If this isn’t a huge problem in the Church, then it wouldn’t be something that the Holy Father feels the need to stress again and again.

There are good priests; however, there are many who lost their way. My parents and I joke that the priests at their local parish haven’t yet gotten the memo from upper management.

The poster likely left the Church for personal reasons and priest/ nuns who aren’t merciful and helpful. I know that I became a lapsed Catholic because of very bad experiences with the Church growing up. In this case, joining a parish where he/ she feels uncomfortable is really a bad idea. Finding one where you feel comfortable and welcomed is key.

The way I read the situation is that the poster in general is that the priest told him/ her that going to the Protestant service was sinful. Some more conservative priests/ Catholics believe that to be the case. Even if that is not the case, it was phrased in such a way that made the poster understand it as such.

I cannot believe that a loving God would allow people who have lived a good life to go to Hell regardless of their religion. I’m not seeking to put “limits” on God. It just seems to me to fly in the face of a loving God.

You know what…I work with returning Catholics…I was a returning Catholic. Being welcoming is important yes…but I disagree with you about whether that priest was or wasn’t. But so many returning Catholics are looking for truth…and have not been taught properly. Watering down the faith to make everyone “feel” all warm and fuzzy does no one any favors. You can be so accommodating that you accommodate them into hell.

It doesn’t sound like you are very charitable by laughing and joking about priests not “getting the memo”. I gave my advice to the OP. you want to make it all about you. You are not the only one who has ever left the church you know. Creating your own God and religion is a very dangerous thing to do. Advising someone else to do the same is wrong. Leaving a parish every time you don’t understand something will just lead to leaving the faith again. I will pray for you.

 

[kag1982]

You know what…I work with returning Catholics…I was a returning Catholic. Being welcoming is important yes…but I disagree with you about whether that priest was or wasn’t. But so many returning Catholics are looking for truth…and have not been taught properly. Watering down the faith to make everyone “feel” all warm and fuzzy does no one any favors. You can be so accommodating that you accommodate them into hell.

It doesn’t sound like you are very charitable by laughing and joking about priests not “getting the memo”. I gave my advice to the OP. you want to make it all about you. You are not the only one who has ever left the church you know. Creating your own God and religion is a very dangerous thing to do. Advising someone else to do the same is wrong. Leaving a parish every time you don’t understand something will just lead to leaving the faith again. I will pray for you.

Oh… neither of the priests have been very pastoral in the past. I remember when my grandma was dying, one was more concerned with the fact that my dad was taking up time than counselling my dad. He was very gruff and uncaring. People failing to live up to the Church’s teachings, namely priests and religious are why people leave the Church and they return when people provide them with an example of what the Church truly teaches. And yes priests can be merciful and understanding as well as telling the truth. It seems this was not the case here.

And believing that all non-Catholics are going to Hell puts a bad face on the Church to outsiders… And I’ll just leave it at that.