Was my confession valid?

[Mickey_Jackson]

I went to Confession today, and it seems as if the priest changed the words of absolution. Instead of the usual “I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” the priest said something along the lines of “May Jesus Christ by His power absolve you of your sins.”

Was this a valid formula? I am particularly worried because I received Holy Communion immediately after this confession, when I’m not sure if the absolution “took,” so to speak.

Peace and blessings to all.

 

[adamsaj]

its dubious at best. the absolutely necessary words are “i absolve you in the name of the father and the son and he holy spirit” or their equivalent. i dont know how “equivalent” the words you heard are. based on what you described, i am leaning tward “no.”

i would definately find a different priest and explain the situation/ confess to him ASAP.

 

[mikew262]

I went to Confession today, and it seems as if the priest changed the words of absolution. Instead of the usual “I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” the priest said something along the lines of “May Jesus Christ by His power absolve you of your sins.”

Was this a valid formula? I am particularly worried because I received Holy Communion immediately after this confession, when I’m not sure if the absolution “took,” so to speak.

Peace and blessings to all.

IMO, the confession was valid. While the words may have been altered, the priest called on Jesus (God) to forgive your sins. I think if you were truly sorry for your sins, then the confession “took”.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I went to Confession today, and it seems as if the priest changed the words of absolution. Instead of the usual “I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” the priest said something along the lines of “May Jesus Christ by His power absolve you of your sins.”

Was this a valid formula? I am particularly worried because I received Holy Communion immediately after this confession, when I’m not sure if the absolution “took,” so to speak.

Peace and blessings to all.

No, that is not a valid Absolution. By saying “May Jesus Christ by His power…” He is almost saying He might, He could, if He wanted to, But who knows, maybe He won’t? By saying in the person of Christ “I Absolve you…!” No question you have been Absolved! You did nothing to incure a new sin by receiving, you may not have received any benefit however. You were mislead by the change of the Form of the Sacrament by the priest. You need however to go back to Confession ASAP, before your next Holy Communion.

 

[awalt]

On Ask a Canon Lawyer on CA Live a few months ago, this very question was asked of Bishop Cordileone. He said that according to Canon law as long as the change in wording was “minor”, and the intent of the priest was to absolve, the confession is valid. He said the words should not be changed but in this case it is valid.

The Bishop is a Canon Lawyer, so I think his answer carries some weight.

Edit: I remembered WHY he said the words did not have to be exact also - he said that some sacraments, like Eucharist, must have the words exact because the words were given to us by Christ - “This is my body”…etc. In the case of absolution, the words were NOT given to us by Christ, they were developed by the Church, so adherence to the specific words, while it should be obeyed, does not render the sacrament invalid per the conditions I set forth above.

 

[awalt]

Wow - nothing is easy is it

Here is a discussion from Ed Peter’s web site, another CAR Live Canon Lawyer, who says that while the penitent is like absolved in the eyes of God, the sacrament was invalid.

This well-credentialed theologian states that it is likely valid, since moral theologians have long stated that small variations in the words do not impact validity; he also shows how the Church has changed what is said over time (per my original comment about this coming from the Church and not Christ).

Note also the words are not part of Canon Law, but are part of the Rite of Penance.

Jimmy Akin says there is no single set of words that are necessary for validity in the case of this sacrament. He also explains Ecclesia Suplet well, referenced in the first link I note in this post, which says “The Church provides” - the belief that the penitent (in this application of Ecclesia Suplet) would not be penalized by God for the inadvertent mistake of the priest because he is a God of mercy.

So all in all, it seems most are on the side the absolution/sacrament is valid, although someone should be told that the words are to be followed exactly.

 

[fodda23]

The Sacrament of Penance is a wonderful gift in the Church…
Remember some contractors should not be hired to build your house, because they don’t know how to use their tools to the best of their ability. Similarly, there are some bad priests out there who think that they know better than the Church. A penitent should NEVER leave the confessional wondering if they were forgiven or not. This is a SCANDAL. The confession would be valid, as a penitent brings sins, contrition and the desire to turn from sin into the confessional. The priest should attend to the penitent with reverence, offer encouragement and/or advice and assign a penance of prayer, fasting or a work of mercy. The penance should be assigned as something that can readily be satisfied. Wondering whether or not one’s confession was valid or whether it “took” damages the effectiveness of this gift in the Church. Nothing can lessen the dignity of a Sacrament, or weaken God’s power to forgive, but the scandalous behavior of some priests makes it uncomfortable or impossible to return to so great a gift. Write your local ordinary (Bishop) a letter to let him know that the priest does not use the ordinary formula handed onto priests by the Church. No details of the confession, just let him know that one of his priests in a particular parish has his own formula and allow for charity and fraternal correction to prevail.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

No, that is not a valid Absolution. By saying “May Jesus Christ by His power…” He is almost saying He might, He could, if He wanted to, But who knows, maybe He won’t? By saying in the person of Christ “I Absolve you…!” No question you have been Absolved! You did nothing to incure a new sin by receiving, you may not have received any benefit however. You were mislead by the change of the Form of the Sacrament by the priest. You need however to go back to Confession ASAP, before your next Holy Communion.

I will revise my answer to “The validity of the absolution is at best questionable.” If it were me I would head back to confession as soon as I could, just to be sure. It is true that the Form of certain Sacraments are set by Christ, the others were left up to the Church. They were defiantly not however left up to individual priests to alter as they pleased. If the Church sets a specific formula for a Sacrament that is the formula required for validity.

 

[awalt]

I agree with that! While the evidence seems to indicate absolution, if I confessed a mortal sin I sure wouldn’t want to take the chance! But the whole time until I could go back I would pray to God to have mercy on me…