Was this breaking the seal of the confessional?

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Merrick

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I confessed a sin in which I took a medicine not prescribed to me when I shouldn’t have because I hurt my hand pretty badly and was in pain. In that context I was also asking if this was a venial or mortal sin.

For some reason the veil wasn’t there so he knew it was me and can recognize my voice anyway.

Before the start of mass when he came out of the confessional he went to shake my hand and then stopped, grinned, and said, “I’d shake your hand but you might still be in pain.”

There have been a couple of another instances when he did things that were borderline related to the seal but I wasn’t sure about those situations so I won’t go into them here.

I have often felt very uncomfortable going to this priest for confession especially when he was being really stern, telling me a single cigar a year could be a mortal sin, and getting stern with me when he found out I went to another confessor I was more comfortable with.

Was this situation an example of breaking the seal of the confessional???
 
I would say no. He didn’t reveal a sin you confessed. Hurting your hand wasn’t the sin you confessed - it was taking medicine you shouldn’t have.
 
No as said before your confession was about taking the medicine for pain plus he said it to you not another party…if I may say I think perhaps you are taking things too literally but also maybe you should find another confessor and be more at ease with. I hope it works out for you.
 
Yes. If this priest had no other way to know of your injured hand than what you said under the seal, he is breaking it.
 
I find that strange and breaking the seal. I would find a new confessor if possible.

Mary.
 
I felt concern when you said the priest told you that it may be a mortal sin to have one cigar a year…and also when you mentioned that he was upset because you had gone to another priest to confession.

You are free to go to any priest you want to for confession.
 
Dorothy said:
I felt concern when you said the priest told you that it may be a mortal sin to have one cigar a year…and also when you mentioned that he was upset because you had gone to another priest to confession.

You are free to go to any priest you want to for confession.
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So was I, and I’m not even Catholic. Since when is smoking an occasional cigar a mortal or even a venial sin in Catholicism?
 
Dorothy said:
Obviously you didn’t have time to read the thread to understand. Meltzer boy is not receiving the sacraments.
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My apologies. I was reading quickly and conflated the two usernames. Sorry.
 
I don’t think that constitutes breaking the seal, but the other stuff you mention sounds a little suspect to me.
 
If I were you, I would post this question to one of the priests in the Ask an Apologist forum. Posters here don’t really know, as evidenced by the conflicting responses. I think you would receive a true answer from them, since they are priests and hear confessions, and know the actual ins and outs of the matter.
 
Merrick said:
Before the start of mass when he came out of the confessional he went to shake my hand and then stopped, grinned, and said, “I’d shake your hand but you might still be in pain.”
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Did he know you were in pain prior to your mention of it in the confessional?

If so, then no problem.
 
No, he did not know. He was already in the confessional when I got to the church.
 
Merrick said:
No, he did not know. He was already in the confessional when I got to the church.
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Right – but the first mention of your condition was in the context of the sacrament of reconciliation?
 
This was definitely breaking the seal of confession. Anyone standing around could have overheard him. If you can go to another confessor, do it.

I have a priest who uses my sins as examples in his sermon.:eek: He doesn’t identify me, but he will say something like a lady confessed one time and then start talking about the sin I mentioned in confession before church started. He has done this every time I have gone to confession with him in the last year.😊

Makes me wonder if he does it with other people who are in line for confession before mass.
I always try not to look at people who are in the confession line.
 
Galnextdoor said:
This was definitely breaking the seal of confession. Anyone standing around could have overheard him. If you can go to another confessor, do it.

I have a priest who uses my sins as examples in his sermon.:eek: He doesn’t identify me, but he will say something like a lady confessed one time and then start talking about the sin I mentioned in confession before church started. He has done this every time I have gone to confession with him in the last year.😊

Makes me wonder if he does it with other people who are in line for confession before mass.
I always try not to look at people who are in the confession line.
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My guess is that unless you are confessing some very unusual sins, he could be talking about anybody. They mostly hear the same sins over and over from different people. In any case, it does not break the seal because he did not mention your name.

The priest in the OP did not identify anything about the person’s Confession, or even that the person had been to confession.
 
CB_Catholic said:
My guess is that unless you are confessing some very unusual sins, he could be talking about anybody. They mostly hear the same sins over and over from different people. In any case, it does not break the seal because he did not mention your name.

The priest in the OP did not identify anything about the person’s Confession, or even that the person had been to confession.
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I’m curious regarding if the confession had been an unusual sin, and the priest used it as an example in a sermon but did not mention the name of the penitent, would this be breaking at least the spirit if not, technically speaking, the seal of confession?
 
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