How do priests go to confession?

[HomeschoolDad]

Well, first - a Spiritual Director doesn’t have to be a priest. A Spiritual Director can be anyone with a strong faith & the appropriate training to do so. Some are Deacons, Religious Sisters/Brothers, and even lay people.

I am fully aware of this. We may be here at least partially conflating Orthodox spiritual fatherhood with Catholic spiritual direction.

Just out of sheer curiosity — and I am not suggesting that it is sinful not to have one — I have to wonder how many practicing, faithful Catholics actually have spiritual directors. I know this could meet with the objection of “there is no way to know, you would have to ask everyone”, and to the best of my knowledge there are no Gallup, Rasmussen, or Marist polls on “how many Catholics have spiritual directors?” — I don’t think anyone really cares — but, to reiterate, just a point of curiosity.

Full disclosure: I am not in a state of life right now to have a spiritual director. I probably should, but I don’t. I am an in-home caregiver, and it is all I can do, to get to Mass, and to get to confession on the odd occasion. That will have to be for another time.

 

[VonDerTann]

You’re absolutely correct that a diocesean priest needs to be a “general practitioner.” But all I’m asking is: Why can’t we have more lay involvement by older couples; business leaders; etc., as “people to go to for advice”? Would that be a bad idea?

I can’t imagine why it would be a bad thing.

 

[InThePew]

It would not be a bad things at all - quite the opposite. However, finding them is another matter. Much like members of finance committees, the problem is the pool of “talent” so to speak available in any given parish.

 

[TheLittleLady]

“even when confessing anonymously, the priest must tell the confessor that he’s a priest.”

And the documentation you presented was for the UK. It is not a universal rule that a priest disclose his priesthood when confessing.

 

[InThePew]

And the documentation you presented was for the UK. It is not a universal rule that a priest disclose his priesthood when confessing.

Strictly speaking no, but it is something which the confessor needs to know - the very nature of the calling makes a difference. Don’t get me wrong, priests are only human and sin at least as much as the average Catholic in the pew but, who they’re called and they do and what they’re called to is something which sets them apart.

In fairness, I’m not sure there’s even been a time since I was ordained when I’ve needed to identify myself as a priest since it’s always been obvious to the priest I was confessing to either because he knows me or from the circumstances (e.g.clergy retreats). Of course, if I really wanted to I could go to someone who doesn’t know me (and who I’m not likely to run into in a clerical context) but it’d take quite a bit of effort - I’d probably have to go to another diocese!

 

[phil19034]

phil19034:

“even when confessing anonymously, the priest must tell the confessor that he’s a priest.”

And the documentation you presented was for the UK. It is not a universal rule that a priest disclose his priesthood when confessing.

I don’t want to argue with you, but you are picking a strange hill to die on.

Obviously if the confessor knows the penitent is a priest, there is no reason to tell the confessor. Priests and Religious need to tell the confessor if the confessor doesn’t know (aka when they are confessing anonymously)

Also, while the PDF I posted was from the Bishops of England & Wales, excerpt from the :
Rite of Penance © 1974, 1975, International Commission on English in the Liturgy
Inc., all rights reserved. Used with permission.

The Rite of Penance from the International Commission on English in the Liturgy is universal.

While the Brits put their excerpts in PDF form and online, the USCCB (for whatever reason) has them sold as 1 or 2 page sheets.

If you want… here the full copy of the Rite of Penance the USCCB has authorized for sale in the United States, written by the International Commission on English in the Liturgy.

https://catholicbookpublishing.com/product/113

It’s 224 pages long.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

My thoughts exactly. The priest should know better than to commit these sins, and I have to think that his sins are “worse” because he is held to a higher standard.

I have always understood — someone please correct me if I’m wrong — that it is harder for a priest to save his soul, than it is for someone who is not a priest. A fortiori for a bishop. And most of all for the Pope. No wonder he goes every day — I would too!

 

[HomeschoolDad]

"The priest should know better than to commit these sins"
SO SHOULD WE!

That’s not exactly what I was saying. As a human being FIRST he is just like you and me a child of God, a sinner. I let God do the judging. I am in NO WAY in a position to do that. I just know that to whom much is given much is expected and that they also do carry a GREAT burden. When they answered God’s call they took on a lifetime of sacrifice and selfless service YET they are only human men with all that entails. I am not going to “throw them all under the bus” because they sin because I need to look in the mirror first. So PLEASE don’t take anything I said in my post as judging, blaming or putting undo extra burden on any Priest.
[/quote]

That is all I was saying — “to whom much is given much is expected”. That is why I have to think that my sins are “worse” than the same sins committed by someone who is poorly catechized and has spent a lifetime uncritically imbibing the contemporary secular consensus — “nobody does anything all that wrong, everybody is going to heaven, do what you want as long as it doesn’t hurt anybody…” and so on. I know better. I’m expected to know better.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

I don’t forget this for an instant, and I have never in my entire life judged the soul of a single person. Judge their behavior, absolutely. We’re pretty insipid Christians if we can’t call out sin for what it is. But judge the person, never. And I certainly wouldn’t presume to judge that person’s standing in the Eyes of God.