"I absolve you FOR your sins"?

[AaronsStaff]

Hello everyone, I have a question about the proper words of absolution I hope someone can answer.

We have a priest at our parish who is from the Philippines (English as a second language) and when giving absolution he follows the correct form but towards the end he says “…I absolve you FOR your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”

I don’t know if this has to do with him not being familiar with the distinctions between words like for, from, of, etc.

According to what I’ve read the proper words would be “I absolve you FROM your sins…” I’ve even read sources that say the essential words are “I absolve you from your sins”

So if this priest is not saying these words exactly is he not giving valid absolutions? There doesn’t seem to be much information I can find on this topic that explains which mistakes render the sacrament invalid.

I’ve also heard people say (citing The Council of Trent and St. Thomas Aquinas) that the absolute bare essential words of absolution are “I absolve you” but this doesn’t seem to have 100% agreement from what I’ve read.

Can anyone provide some clarity on this issue?

 

[littlestsouls2]

“I absolve thee/you” are the essential words, so it is valid. I think the Council of Florence says this much.

God would sooner pardon us by an extraordinary means than leave us unabsolved, without our knowledge, due to such a technicality. A holy priest told me this and I believe it.

 

[Sunbreak]

Words do not necessarily translate exactly between languages and the priest may not understand the subtle difference in meaning. In Polish, for example, the words used, if translated literally would say “I absolve you sins” without the word “from” actually being in there. So I think it’s a language/translation difference.

 

[Purgatory_Pete]

Just ask the Priest in question.
:tiphat:

 

[ProVobis]

Hello everyone, I have a question about the proper words of absolution I hope someone can answer.

We have a priest at our parish who is from the Philippines (English as a second language) and when giving absolution he follows the correct form but towards the end he says “…I absolve you FOR your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”

Prepositions and their differences are hard to teach in English. And then there are differences between US English, UK English, and so forth. I would say you’re okay as long as you hear “Te absolvo,” “I absolve you,” or in whatever language he says it in.

 

[Gorgias]

In Polish, for example, the words used, if translated literally would say “I absolve you sins” without the word “from” actually being in there.

Hmm… do you have the prayer in Polish that you might quote here?

 

[ProVobis]

Hmm… do you have the prayer in Polish that you might quote here?

*I ja odpuszczam tobie grzechy w imię Ojca i Syna, i Ducha Świętego
*
Sunbreak is correct. There is no preposition per se. It’s understood, or you can make a case it’s buried in the verb (the “od” part).

But one can make the same case with the English “ab” in “absolve.”

.