May a Protestant like me go to confession?

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jac1959

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I am a Protestant that is overwhelmed by the guilt of sin. Is it permissible for me to confess my sins to a priest? I think that I would stay more focused on staying closer to the Lord if I were accountable to a more mature trusted Christian. What are your thoughts?
 
Hi,

Catholics do not primarily go to Confession to stay focussed, though the sacrament can help in this way. We go to Confession because we believe that our sins are absolutely forgiven by Christ’s absolution given through the ministry of the priest. When Jesus breathed on His Apostles and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained (Jn 20:22-24), we believe that He literally meant that.

If you believe this also, then perhaps you need to be a Catholic. To believe that a Catholic priest has the power to forgive sin when one’s own minister does not, suggests that one is acknowledging some faith in the Catholic Church. Maybe you are closer to becoming one than you think. As it stands, one must hold the teachings of the Catholic Church to partake of is sacraments.

You are in our prayers.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.
 
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