John 20:23 - sacrament of penance vs forgiveness among believers

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jenelrose

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During a recent Bible study we were discussing John 20:23 (Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.). The Council of Trent defined this power to forgive as being found within the sacrament of confession. Related passages (which I found after the discussion) are Matthew 16:19 (Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.) which is within the context of Peter being given the keys of heaven and Matthew 18:18 (almost verbatim from Matthew 16:19) which is within the context of how to deal with sin within the community. According to the footnotes from the NAB Matthew 18:18 has been interpreted as giving the powers granted to Peter in Matthew 16:19 to all of the disciples. While my initial thought is that all of the disciples would refer to just the 12 (and subsequently the priesthood), given how widely cited Matthew 18 is in terms of guidance for resolving conflict and addressing sin among believers, I’m not so sure.

Several questions were raised which triggered much discussion and I was wondering if anyone could clarify what the Catholic teaching is and/or how Catholics are called to respond in these situations.
  1. Does the Council of Trent definition preclude one from interpreting John 20:23 as being the basis of the sacrament of penance AND referring to forgiveness among believers?
  2. If it does, how does the Matthew 18:18 teaching relate to that given that it directly follows the passage on how to deal with sin within the community?
  3. If you see someone sinning (and for the sake of argument, assume that it is obvious that the person is sinning), what are you called to do if are the person being sinned against? If you are indirectly affected by the sin? If you know of the sin but are not directly or indirectly affected by it?
  4. Are there times when public confessions are necessary/advisable? When, if ever, should that occur (the recent excommunication of three women in Texas being an example)?
Any clarification that could be provided would be appreciated!

God Bless,

Jenelrose
 
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