State of Mortal Sin or Forgiven

[TheRepentantsinner]

Hello,
Please read full paragraph as it is essential to the question:

I am seventeen now, but when I was 10 or 11 years old I committed a grave sin. I was not very well educated about my faith, and did not know or believe that the Eucharist is our Blessed Lord. One day during a mass at my Catholic grade school, I gave the Eucharist I had received to my Protestant friend at school. I obviously did not think much about it at the time, but after getting closer in my faith years later, realized it was a mortal sin that needed to be confessed. So I said it in my confession and the priest gave me absolution. However, I read that certain sins can only be forgiven by bishops or the pope, one of them including sacrilege to the Eucharist. Am I actually forgiven or does my sin fall into that category where I should seek confession from a bishop?
Thank You for any answers. I am desperate.

 

[MeganCecilia]

No you are fine. The priest would’ve told you if that was the case

 

[Jen7]

You can’t accidentally sin. You didn’t know. This said, do you know the kid and can you find out what happened? Maybe he kept the Host in a box somewhere and can give Him back? It’d be a good teachable moment either way. Explain why it’s important to you now…

 

[Jen7]

Besides the Lord is ok with being consumed in the Eucharist by an 11 year old protestant.

If the kid didn’t know better there’s no sin, but I think it’s a big stretch to say God is okay with it. My 2 year old puts out her hands for Communion & IF somehow she accidentally received some Sunday it would be an accident / no sin… but that doesn’t mean God is okay with it and I should just share a crumb of the Host with her since she’s such a sweet toddler and Jesus loves kids after all.

 

[Jen7]

The priest would’ve told you if that was the case

Sadly I’m not sure about that. I think it’s great that OP isn’t just presuming the priest would know/tell. I’ve heard so many priests say thins aren’t sinful when they clearly are (sins against purity, contraception, etc). The priest should know better but that doesn’t mean he’s going to say something. Good for you for reaching out, OP!

 

[Erundil]

I read that certain sins can only be forgiven by bishops or the pope,

You probably mistaken this with Excommunication. Which can be lifted by bishops or the pope (the absolution which revokes excommunication is purely jurisdictional and has nothing sacramental about it. It reinstates the repentant sinner in the Church; restores the rights of which he had been deprived, beginning with participation in the sacraments; and for this very reason, it should precede sacramental absolution, which it thenceforth renders possible and efficacious).

But, as others said, all is fine. Pope or bishop giving you an Absolution is the same as your ‘normal’ parish priest.

Now worries dear @TheRepentantsinner!

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Sadly I’m not sure about that. I think it’s great that OP isn’t just presuming the priest would know/tell.

I don’t think it’s “great” to encourage people to distrust their priests.
Priests generally know what they’re doing. There is no reason to second-guess their ability to absolve sins and take appropriate actions per canon law.
Encouraging people to worry that their priest didn’t absolve them correctly just feeds people’s distrust of the Church as well as any scrupulosity in persons reading.

We’re also talking about an 11-year-old here who shared Communion with his friend. Yes it was wrong, but it doesn’t sound like it was done with a disrespectful or blasphemous intent. It doesn’t even sound like the 11-year-old perp realized it was wrong till later on. In short, it appears to be lacking two of the three elements needed for mortal sin. It’s likely the priest thought the same.

OP, you’re absolved, trust your priest, and be at peace.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

However, I read that certain sins can only be forgiven by bishops or the pope, one of them including sacrilege to the Eucharist.

Also, let’s break this down a bit because we just had another thread on it.

A priest with the faculties to hear confession can absolve ANY sin. You do not ever have to go to a bishop or Pope to be absolved.

The cases where you have to go to a bishop or Pope involve having an ecclesiastical censure lifted. For example, an excommunication. Some sins cause an automatic excommunication and in that case, after you confessed and were absolved, the priest would direct you to go to the bishop, not for absolution (priest did that already) but to get the censure lifted.

Again, for the reasons we already stated, it’s highly unlikely that an 11-year-old who did what you did, not understanding it was even wrong, would incur a censure such as excommunication. Therefore, there was no penalty to lift. The priest has the power to absolve you, which he did; there was no need to go to the bishop, and the priest didn’t direct you to go to the bishop.

 

[MeganCecilia]

Maybe he kept the Host in a box somewhere and can give Him back?

What??? …

 

[MeganCecilia]

The priest should know better but that doesn’t mean he’s going to say something.

This encourages scrupulosity. We need to trust our confessors. And it is very clear that this person is not excommunicated.