Sin and confession outside the bounds of Earth

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The Urbi et Orbi blessing carries a plenary by radio, television, internet etc but you have to watch it live. You cannot get an indulgence watching a rebroadcast. Because of this, I am often setting very early alarms on blessing days. I wake up enough to get the blessing, then I go back to sleep.
 
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thistle said:
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Beryllos:
Why do you say that? I just did a quick review of the Catechism and find that there is some leeway in case of grave necessity or physical impossibility.
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That is not correct. If you believe that then show me the part in the CCC which you say supports your claim.
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I asked you first.
 
But since you asked, …

CCC 1484 teaches that individual confession and personal confession is the ordinary and preferred method, but adds “unless physical or moral impossibility excuses from this kind of confession.”

I apologize in advance that this does not specifically address space travel.
 
Leeway how? Please post a link to the catechism which addresses this.
 
Remember that for communicating from earth across astronomical distances, there is a significant delay. You might transmit your confession and wait hours or days or years for absolution to arrive.
 
thistle said:
Wrong. You brought up the CCC to support your claim. I did not. Show me the part of the CCC you are referring to.
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You just had to click on the link in Beryllos’s post.

Here it is in full:
1483 In case of grave necessity recourse may be had to a communal celebration of reconciliation with general confession and general absolution . Grave necessity of this sort can arise when there is imminent danger of death without sufficient time for the priest or priests to hear each penitent’s confession. Grave necessity can also exist when, given the number of penitents, there are not enough confessors to hear individual confessions properly in a reasonable time, so that the penitents through no fault of their own would be deprived of sacramental grace or Holy Communion for a long time. In this case, for the absolution to be valid the faithful must have the intention of individually confessing their grave sins in the time required. The diocesan bishop is the judge of whether or not the conditions required for general absolution exist. A large gathering of the faithful on the occasion of major feasts or pilgrimages does not constitute a case of grave necessity.

1484 “Individual, integral confession and absolution remain the only ordinary way for the faithful to reconcile themselves with God and the Church, unless physical or moral impossibility excuses from this kind of confession.” There are profound reasons for this. Christ is at work in each of the sacraments. He personally addresses every sinner: "My son, your sins are forgiven."He is the physician tending each one of the sick who need him to cure them. He raises them up and reintegrates them into fraternal communion. Personal confession is thus the form most expressive of reconciliation with God and with the Church.
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I threw in 1483 as a bonus because it provides a definition of “grave necessity”, which goes beyond danger of death and includes “so that the penitents through no fault of their own would be deprived of sacramental grace or Holy Communion for a long time.”

The Church thus considers being deprived of sacramental grace for a long time to be a serious problem, and allows general absolution in those circumstances under the guidance of the bishop.

The Church “rules” are not always as black-and-white as some folks would like them to be. She shows consideration for our human limitations.
 
OraLabora said:
Now what are the odds of a practicing Catholic astronaut?
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I’m sure there have been many Catholic astronauts. I don’t see why a Catholic would be less likely to be an astronaut than anyone else.
 
LawyersGunsAndMoney said:
I’m sure there have been many Catholic astronauts. I don’t see why a Catholic would be less likely to be an astronaut than anyone else.
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Well as they say when selling you mutual funds, “past performance is no guarantee of future results”. We are talking about the kind of mission that is way off into the future. And at the rate Catholicism is going in Western society…
 
I don’t know. I suppose some adjustment may have to be made in the future for those who are unable to meet with a priest in person. I have never given this sort of thing much thought. Thanks for adding this topic to the forum. 🙏
 
May I recommend the novel “Voyage to Alpha Centauri” by catholic novelist Michael O Brien. It has a scenario where we are sending a large space ship to a planet in the Alpha Centauri system with aroudnm 1000 people on it. It takes place in the future, where the Church has been persecuted to the point of being in the catacombs. They still manage to smuggle a priest and a Bishop on board (that’s a little bit of a spoiler, but it won’t ruin the book).

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H4FGGFW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
 
Should we even risk seeking out other intelligent lifeforms in the universe? I mean not because of the risk they may pose to us, but the risk we may pose to them. Maybe they never got expelled from their Garden of Eden. Where ever goes man, so goes sin.
 
OraLabora said:
The Church “rules” are not always as black-and-white as some folks would like them to be. She shows consideration for our human limitations.
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Now this is the kind of statement that can unfortunately be used in a way that the author doesn’t intend.

Actually, the Church rules and teachings ARE ‘black and white’. The Church doesn’t do situational ethics.

What the Church does, however, and it’s what the poster means, is that WHEN it is impossible for a person to do the black and white, the black and white remains the teaching, but the responsibility is abrogated.

See, some people would use the statement to say, "The Church’s teachings change depending on circumstances, and so they aren’t black and white but have shades of gray’. That isn’t so.

The Church’s teachings are black and white, but a person who cannot, for example, get to confession because he is on a 2 year space mission can go to the bishop for a dispensation from the ‘black and white’ and receive forgiveness through a channel which is not a ‘gray’ or a ‘situation’ but a pastoral decision for an INDIVIDUAL.
 
You and I would get on as I think things like this all the time 😂 . If tech was so advanced as you are decribing, they would be able send up a priest I would think. Literally every priest I know would be laughing at this as none of them are physically fit guys. Hopefully the astronauts are too busy staying alive and learning instead of having time to commit mortal sin up there. If not, God would allow a just way for them to repent and they would probably get sacraments of reconciliation and last rites before they went up (sorry if wrong term for the latter I’m still a noob)
 
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It can get even more complicated with future colonization. Babies being born for example. Now I know a deacon could perform a Baptism, but certainly there would be a need for priests for other Sacraments. I’m trying to think of any priests I know who are exceptionally fit. I’ve seen our pastor out jogging, but aside from that, not so much.
 
If they are physically fit now, a 2 year trip in a weightless condition would make them unfit!
 
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