Group Confession?

[Flatty10]

Just another problem

I Priest i know administers the Sacrement of Reconciliation in groups. so for example - a group of friends can go up at the same time, they write their sins on a piece of paper, give it to priest, priest reads to himself, and then gives absolution…

To me this is completely wrong. help?

 

[PhanxicoXavier]

I’m almost certain that you need to CONFESS your sins (not write them down) for the Confession to take place.

 

[ljubim]

That is totally inappropriate. Send a letter to the priest and get the response (keep records). If not satisfactory, send a letter to the bishop and keep records, even arrange a meeting with the bishop if he won’t respond. Then only as a last resort, take it to the Congregation for Divine Worship. Priests get away with junk like this only because we don’t know our stuff. Prove them wrong, stick up for yourself and the Church.

Check out the Vatican website to find the sources to defend yourself with. God bless!!

 

[corsair]

This is most definately wrong. I would say that the “confessions” are not valid. This priest better be reported to the Bishop.

 

[Monica4316]

Just another problem

I Priest i know administers the Sacrement of Reconciliation in groups. so for example - a group of friends can go up at the same time, they write their sins on a piece of paper, give it to priest, priest reads to himself, and then gives absolution…

To me this is completely wrong. help?

yes it is wrong

you might want to talk to the priest about this or notify the diocese?

 

[choy]

the only way i can think of writing down sins and giving it to the priest as being the right way is if the person is deaf or mute and the priest can’t read sign language

then again, thinking about it, if the preist doesn’t know sign language, how does he tell the person what to do for penance?

 

[LoyalViews]

Yep, the only time your are allowed to write down one’s sins, is when they are really sick. Mute, or are unable to speak. There are exceptions to when someone is sick, who may have a machine hooked up to them, making him unable to speak, etc…

Contact the Bishop A.S.A.P.
The confessions most definately ARE NOT valid.

God Bless!

 

[Oneofthewomen]

Just another problem

I Priest i know administers the Sacrement of Reconciliation in groups. so for example - a group of friends can go up at the same time, they write their sins on a piece of paper, give it to priest, priest reads to himself, and then gives absolution…

To me this is completely wrong. help?

I will agree with most posters that this does not sound valid to me.
And I agree that the issue needs to be addressed,
however, I also believe that one must tread very lightly if one does not have all the facts!
Based on your short post, I have many more questions that would need to be answered before I will make any judgements.

If it were me, I would talk with the priest privately and express my concerns.
I would explain to him my understanding of the sacrament and have the CCC with me to back up my beliefs.
I would do all of this in love and kindness and never presume to know better than he.

If, after our chat, I was still convinced that there was some error going on, I would pray very hard about it, and then and only then consider what I would do next, which would probably be to send a detailed letter to the priest’s superior (not necessarily the local bishop, if the priest is a Parochial vicar, he answers to the Pastor of the church so I would start there), outlining what I expereinced and that I had already talked with the priest in question and that I was still concerned, therefore felt it was my responsibility to alert his superiors.

After that, it is up to God what happens from there.:heaven:

 

[Joe_Kelley]

I don’t know any rule against submitting your sins in writing. However, group confession would seem wrong. It prevents the priest from asking any questions about the sins, and blocks him from giving any detailed advice to the penitent.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

If this is really what is happening, than this is a severe abuse of the sacrament. Speak to the priest and find out exactly how he does this. If he speaks to a group before and after confessions, but hears each one individually that’s OK. But if they are really doing the paper thing (and then burning the papers or whatever), that is definately wrong. After you speak to the priest, if he’s not willing to change, then definately tell the bishop–with dates and times of these events if you know when they happened, and a summary of your conversation with the priest.

Search in the Liturgy and Sacraments forum, because we have recently discussed this and Benedictgal was able to point to the relevant laws concerning this.

Just another problem

I Priest i know administers the Sacrement of Reconciliation in groups. so for example - a group of friends can go up at the same time, they write their sins on a piece of paper, give it to priest, priest reads to himself, and then gives absolution…

To me this is completely wrong. help?