Isn't it a sin for a priest to refuse to hear a confession?

[jonathancron]

My wife, son, and I went to Mass at our local cathedral. We just moved back to the area after being gone for nearly six years. We were excited about attending Mass at the cathedral and showed up about an hour early since we knew they offered confession prior to Mass. A man somehow jumped ahead of us, unwittingly, and spent nearly twenty minutes in confession. By the time he left the confessional, it was five minutes until Mass time. The priest left the confessional with him and saw us. He very rudely said, “I don’t have time… SORRY!”

We were very appalled to have been refused the opportunity to confess. I have never been turned away in all my life.

Isn’t that a mortal sin on the part of the priest to refuse such a wonderful sacrament to anyone properly disposed to receive it? I realize that the best solution is to never sin and not worry about ever going back to confession. By the way, we were so embarrassed and offended in front of all those people that we left. Several of the elderly faithful seemed to be upset at the priest.

Please comment.

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

I sympathize with your frustration and embarrassment. Certainly the priest could have been more tactful, could have explained why he couldn’t hear your confession (e.g., Mass was about to begin, particularly if he was the celebrant), and could have invited you to remain after Mass for confession then.

But no, it wasn’t a sin for him to deny you confession at that time if there was just cause to do so – as there was if Mass was about to begin. Only if you were in dire need of confession at that very moment and were unable to receive the sacrament from another priest would there be a possibility of sin on the part of the priest for him to deny you the opportunity to confess. Such conditions though usually occur in life-and-death circumstances, of which this wasn’t one.

Should a situation like this happen in the future, you might exclaim, “Father!” to the priest’s retreating back. Once his attention is snagged, you could then politely ask, “Could you please hear our confessions after Mass?”