Question about The Godfather III's confession scene

  • Thread starter Thread starter vash88
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
V

vash88

Guest
For those who have seen The Godfather trilogy, I struggle to understand the confession scene from a Catholic perspective. I know it’s just a movie and not going to be 100% true to liturgy, and the Sacraments aren’t the focus of the movie, but I’m just curious. Was Michael given absolution or not?

After talking about hardness of heart, and yet insisting that Michael keep going with his confession (despite Michael flat-out asking “Why confess if I’m unrepentant?”), once Michael eventually confessed to killing Fredo, the Cardinal said that Michael’s life is redeemable “but you don’t believe that, so you’ll never change.” But, despite saying he’ll never change, the Cardinal proceeded to seemingly give him absolution anyway…? Wha…? Am I missing something?
 
is this what you are talking about?

be specific, shipmate

 
Last edited:
An unrepentant person cannot be absolved.

Hollywood cannot be accurate.
 
well’ he refused to repent; so that is not a catholic confession

and the movie goes downhill from there
 
Last edited:
i don’t even remember that scene. guess it has beem awhile since i watched the movie.
 
Godfather III is not my favorite movie.

On the other hand, the man is crying and sad over the things he confessed. Obviously there is some remorse there. Maybe the priest thought it sufficient to give absolution along with giving a warning designed to try and jolt the guy out of his rut.
 
They got the sacrament of reconciliation wrong, obviously - not that unusual for a Hollywood movie (in fact I feel I encounter some gross distortion of Catholicism each time I watch a movie featuring Catholic themes). Although you’d expect Mario Puzo (screenwriter) and Francis Ford Coppola (director) as Catholics would have known better.
 
Last edited:
tomarin said:
Although you’d expect Mario Puzo (screenwriter) and Francis Ford Coppola (director) as Catholics would have known better.
Click to expand...
Why would you think that? In the first Godfather film, Vito sends out his emissary to Hollywood to speak to a mogul at the behest of his Godson.

This is obviously outside the responsibilities of the baptismal sponsor, at least from the class I received in it. If my Godson asked me to speak to a prospective employer on his behalf, much less decapitate a horse to help him get the job, I’d have to decline and explain that its not part of the Godfather’s duties.
 
Augustinian said:
Why would you think that? In the first Godfather film, Vito sends out his emissary to Hollywood to speak to a mogul at the behest of his Godson.

This is obviously outside the responsibilities of the baptismal sponsor, at least from the class I received in it. If my Godson asked me to speak to a prospective employer on his behalf, much less decapitate a horse to help him get the job, I’d have to decline and explain that its not part of the Godfather’s duties.
Click to expand...
Right, decapitating a horse is strictly for the clergy to perform.

There was a book written a few years ago (all right, maybe a decade ago) about rampant levels of religious illiteracy in the U.S. population; I think a scene like this one from the Godfather III is probably more evidence of that.
 
Last edited:
I saw this film only once, a number of years ago.

Did this confession scene occur simultaneously to bad criminal activity going on.

Coppola likes to do that;

Godfather 1: all the rub outs st the end happened during the baptism of Connie’s baby.

Godfather 2: first communion/ attempted assasination if Michael. Religious procession and Don Fanucci getting bumped.

Fredo praying the Hail Mary in order to catch a fish, and getting shot. That scene is sad. I pity him there, poor Fredo,
 
F_Marturana said:
I saw this film only once, a number of years ago.

Did this confession scene occur simultaneously to bad criminal activity going on.

Coppola likes to do that;

Godfather 1: all the rub outs st the end happened during the baptism of Connie’s baby.

Godfather 2: first communion/ attempted assasination if Michael. Religious procession and Don Fanucci getting bumped.

Fredo praying the Hail Mary in order to catch a fish, and getting shot. That scene is sad. I pity him there, poor Fredo,
Click to expand...
Fredo had it coming though didn’t he (according to the logic of the film)? He betrayed his brother Michael and the family. Either with another mobster or the FBI, can’t remember which.
 
Last edited:
F_Marturana said:
Coppola likes to do that;
Click to expand...
I think you’re on to something here, which would explain why Coppola would be so willing to mess up the confession scene, since oftentimes the dramatic logic of a movie or television show interferes with its overall verisimilitude: namely, the big theme of the Godfather movies is that power corrupts. So what he’s trying to communicate with the priest telling Michael he’ll never change despite giving him absolution is that 1. Michael is bad to the bone and 2. the priest himself - a synecdoche for the Church, or all organized religion - is corrupted by consorting with the criminal underworld.
 
Last edited:
Yes there was a “bad” priest in Godfather 3 who consorted with the criminal element for money. but Michael went to confession to a Cardinal . the big thing is Godfather 1 was a blockbuster,hence 2 & 3 yet Godfather 1 = 🍿 A Godfather 2 = 🍿🍿 a Godfather 3 = 🍿🍿🍿
 
F_Marturana said:
Fredo praying the Hail Mary in order to catch a fish, and getting shot. That scene is sad. I pity him there, poor Fredo,
Click to expand...
I thought he knew he was gonna get shot and it was more of a, “Say your prayers. You’re gonna need them.” kind of situation.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top