Orthodox confession

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latingirl

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I have a friend who says she is in need of the sacrament of reconciliation but she is Orthodox and there are no Orthodox churches in her area. Her faith has come under fire from Protestants who keep saying she isn’t a true Christian. She needs help but the only place where confession is available is a Catholic Church.

Since both churches have apostolic succession and valid sacraments, in a case of emergency, can she go to a Catholic priest for confession?

Thanks for your help.
 
I’m not an expert, but it seems to me that if Orthodox and Catholics can partake in the Eucharist together under extraordinary circumstances, then she should be able to go to Confession at a Catholic church. I’m sure God wouldn’t mind someone showing sorrow for sin and wanting reconciliation.
 
My brother Mickey is correct, she should call her spiritual father and seek guidance.

This is a location finder for Orthodox in North America, if that helps at all.
orthodoxyinamerica.org/lr_v10/locator.php

BTW, I notice that you are in Alsip, I live right up the road, is your friend in Illinois?
 
latingirl said:
I have a friend who says she is in need of the sacrament of reconciliation but she is Orthodox and there are no Orthodox churches in her area. Her faith has come under fire from Protestants who keep saying she isn’t a true Christian. She needs help but the only place where confession is available is a Catholic Church.

Since both churches have apostolic succession and valid sacraments, in a case of emergency, can she go to a Catholic priest for confession?

Thanks for your help.
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From the Catholic perspective: if she cannot approach an Orthodox priest, she can confess to a Catholic priest.

Catholics also have an obligation to respect the Orthodox discipline and their canon law. While a Catholic priest is permitted to hear the confession of an Orthodox Christian (and can absolve both validly and licitly); this is not to say that this should be done casually. The first option should always be to locate an Orthodox priest; only then, if it’s not possible, a Catholic priest may hear her confession. In a true emergency (such as danger of death), of course a Catholic priest should hear her confession, unless there is an Orthodox priest readily available.
 
Hesychios,

I don’t live in Alsip anymore…I need to change that 🙂
 
I doubt she would be given approval from her priest or bishop to do this. The Orthodox do not accept Catholic sacraments, and partaking in them, even marriage, warrants an automatic excommunication (i.e. being cut off from the chalice).
 
Yes I did contact an Orthodox priest and he said no. How come we recognize their sacraments but they don’t recognize ours? I kind of find that offensive… However I did relay the message to her. I care about her spiritual health more than my little hurt feelings.
 
latingirl said:
Yes I did contact an Orthodox priest and he said no. How come we recognize their sacraments but they don’t recognize ours? I kind of find that offensive… However I did relay the message to her. I care about her spiritual health more than my little hurt feelings.
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It’s not really an issue of accepting the other’s sacraments or not. Regardless of whether an Orthdoox priest regards Catholic sacraments as having grace (with some like Metropolitan Hilarion believing they have grace and others believing otherwise), the answer will usually be no, because we are simply not in communion.
 
latingirl said:
Yes I did contact an Orthodox priest and he said no. How come we recognize their sacraments but they don’t recognize ours? I kind of find that offensive… However I did relay the message to her. I care about her spiritual health more than my little hurt feelings.
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I don’t see any cause for offense. Just as we [Catholic] define which sacraments by other communities fulfill the requirements we have, they are right in doing the same for their definitions.

It is very important that we know and honor their requirements. We are obliged to help others follow their path to God as much as we can; so long as it does not prevent us from following our path.
 
Joe,

Of course I will honor their regulations regardless of how I personally feel.
 
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