Someone who is converting to another church can receive Confession?

[wynd]

Hello all,

Let me give you some background for my question first.

I am Catholic, but am seriously considering conversion to the Orthodox Church. I have been going to Divine Liturgy for the past six months or so. However, since I am not yet Orthodox I cannot receive the sacrament of confession from an Orthodox priest.

Anyway, I told a friend of mine yesterday that I also can’t go to Catholic confession because in Catholic eyes, I have been missing Mass for six months and I have no intention to go back, so I am not contrite. He said that I could still go to confession and receive absolution anyway. Is that true? Sounds fishy to me.

Thanks!

 

[Fuerza]

I would say that if you have no intention of returning to the Catholic Church, then you can’t go to confession or receive communion. Of course, if you are converting to Orthodoxy, then you don’t think that the Catholic Church is the true church and I don’t see why you would want to.

Since someone else will undoubtedly ask, why are you considering conversion? Have you looked into an Eastern Catholic Church instead? They may be able to give you what you have found in Orthodoxy while allowing you to remain in communion with the Catholic Church.

 

[wynd]

I would say that if you have no intention of returning to the Catholic Church, then you can’t go to confession or receive communion. Of course, if you are converting to Orthodoxy, then you don’t think that the Catholic Church is the true church and I don’t see why you would want to.

Since someone else will undoubtedly ask, why are you considering conversion? Have you looked into an Eastern Catholic Church instead? They may be able to give you what you have found in Orthodoxy while allowing you to remain in communion with the Catholic Church.

Thanks for your answer. That’s pretty much what I figured, but I just wanted to double-check in case I had overlooked something.

Since you asked, I am considering conversion because I don’t feel there is strong enough evidence in the early church to support the Catholic beliefs about the pope. But that’s a topic for another thread

 

[whosebob]

Since you asked, I am considering conversion because I don’t feel there is strong enough evidence in the early church to support the Catholic beliefs about the pope. But that’s a topic for another thread

JMJ + OBT​

Dear wynd, may Our Lord bless you as you discern His holy will for you. May the prayers of the Blessed Virgin daily strengthen you and draw you closer to the Heart of Our Eucharistic Lord, and may her prayers help you to stay in the boat with Peter!

And I make that prayer as one who has a great and growing respect and appreciation for Eastern Christianity, very much including those Eastern and Oriental churches which are not presently in communion with the Bishop of Rome. In fact, I make it a point to visit and worship with the Antiochian Orthodox Christians who have a mission parish in my hometown.

Have you worked through the resources at the following website?

Corunum Catholic Apologetics: Papacy

Those materials surely won’t convince you if you’ve already made up your mind, but they might provide food for thought. This is, after all, a most difficult subject – patience and charity must rule the day, otherwise East and West will never be reconciled.

In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

IC XC NIKA

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Hello all,

Let me give you some background for my question first.

I am Catholic, but am seriously considering conversion to the Orthodox Church. I have been going to Divine Liturgy for the past six months or so. However, since I am not yet Orthodox I cannot receive the sacrament of confession from an Orthodox priest.

Anyway, I told a friend of mine yesterday that I also can’t go to Catholic confession because in Catholic eyes, I have been missing Mass for six months and I have no intention to go back, so I am not contrite. He said that I could still go to confession and receive absolution anyway. Is that true? Sounds fishy to me.

Thanks!

You are not converting, you are denouncing the true Church for a schismatic one. You would be “Converting” if you were moving from the Latin Church to an Eastern Catholic Church, in this case you will be denouncing the Catholic Faith.

 

[John_Higgins]

Br. Rich, shame on you! What a cruel answer! Were you a drill instructor in another life? Tearing people down so you can build them up?

While nothing you said was necessarily untrue, it certainly wasn’t charitable. Think about what St. Francis would say.

John

 

[blackrobe]

Br. Rich, shame on you! What a cruel answer! Were you a drill instructor in another life? Tearing people down so you can build them up?

While nothing you said was necessarily untrue, it certainly wasn’t charitable. Think about what St. Francis would say.

John

Br. Rich is being eminently charitable. He not only speaks the truth but practices three Spiritual Works of Mercy in one concise statement.

I am reasonably confident St. Francis would agree that calculated concern for someone’s immortal soul trumps warm fuzziness.

JSA

 

[wynd]

While Br. Rich may not be very tactful, I understand his concern.

However, I believe the topic of the thread is “Someone who is converting to another church can receive Confession?”

 

[az_4_faith]

You are not converting, you are denouncing the true Church for a schismatic one. You would be “Converting” if you were moving from the Latin Church to an Eastern Catholic Church, in this case you will be denouncing the Catholic Faith.

 

[jmcrae]

He said that I could still go to confession and receive absolution anyway. Is that true? Sounds fishy to me.

Thanks!

If you no longer believe in Peter, then you no longer believe that a Catholic priest in communion with the See of Peter has a valid Ordination, so why on earth would you receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or any other Sacrament, from him?

Since, from your point of view, he has no more ability than any lay person to give you a valid Absolution, anyway.

 

[palmas85]

Br. Rich, shame on you! What a cruel answer! Were you a drill instructor in another life? Tearing people down so you can build them up?

While nothing you said was necessarily untrue, it certainly wasn’t charitable. Think about what St. Francis would say.

John

Ah yes, the uncharitable charge raises its head this time on Brother Rich, one of the fairest minded individuals on this forum. And why you ask? Well, because he told the truth:bigyikes: thats all, just the truth.

It should by now be pretty obvious that most of those who fling the uncharitable charge around do when their own position is threatened or when someone gives a direct answer that has even the slightest chance of offending someone

Offending someone by pointing out the truth is not uncharitable. That is unless the truth itself is uncharitable. I personally have never felt that it was.

That is why I’m called uncharitable all the time But in all honesty I am a lot more blunt than Brother Rich.

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

Br. Rich, shame on you! What a cruel answer! Were you a drill instructor in another life? Tearing people down so you can build them up?

While nothing you said was necessarily untrue, it certainly wasn’t charitable. Think about what St. Francis would say.

John

Were that he said more! Blunt and to the point, but not uncharitable.

 

[MusicMan]

Are we still in this state of affairs with the Orthodox? Are they really considered to be schismatic? Do we consider them to be completely separate from the one true Church? Haven’t we made some progress recently toward narrowing this divide?

 

[boppaid]

Sometimes I think that if we are truly interested in helping the souls of our breathern be united with Christ through the church, tone and charity go a long way. Sure, truth is truth. But sometimes harsh words will only drive someone away fruther. Christ won believers by truth, certainly we should never “water down” the message. But He delivered the truth in a loving way when converting the hearts of men, and not in a degrading or condesending way. I think we can learn a lot from him and his ministry in the Gospels.

 

[Walking_Home]

You are not converting, you are denouncing the true Church for a schismatic one. You would be “Converting” if you were moving from the Latin Church to an Eastern Catholic Church, in this case you will be denouncing the Catholic Faith.

---

Bro. Rich.

 

[Marian_Carroll]

The OP having received an answer to the question, the thread is now closed. Thanks to those who responded to the inquiry.