Why did my priest refuse to hear my confession?

[301029]

Catholic Answers,
A few weeks ago I walked into my local parish to go to spend some time with the Blessed Sacrament. Upon leaving I realized it was my parish’s Saturday confession time. I ran into Monsignor and asked if he would hear my confession. I told him I was going to attend RCIA next month and have even already been baptized in a protestant church, but he refused to hear my confession. What can someone like me do? What if I die with mortal sin before getting to be confirmed or go to confession?

 

[Fr.Charles_Grondin]

I can’t answer definitively why he didn’t hear your confession. You mentioned that it was the parish’s regular confession time, but then you said you ran into him. Perhaps the time for confessions had finished and he was on his way to another important thing on his schedule and didn’t have time.

Generally speaking the Church only administers the sacraments to non-Catholics under very limited conditions (canon 844, 4). The Church requires that the person be in danger of death or a grave situation, their minister is unavailable, the person manifests the Catholic belief about the sacrament, and requests it .

If you told him that you were not in RCIA yet, then he might have been hesitant to hear your confession. He doesn’t know if you properly understand the sacrament of confession yet because you haven’t yet begun RCIA. He also might have been concerned about whether your previous Protestant baptism was valid or not. And, generally speaking, the Church doesn’t permit priests to administer the sacraments to non-Catholics.

The Church does permit individuals preparing to enter full communion with the Church to receive the sacrament of confession:

National Statutes for Catechumenate

1. The celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation with candidates for reception into full communion is to be carried out at a time prior to and distinct from the celebration of the rite of reception.

If you take note of the wording, the celebration of the sacrament for individuals entering full communion is given as a singular event. It would appear that the Church wants to educate the individuals as much as possible and be sure of their commitment to becoming Catholic before administering the sacraments to them.

In danger of death, the sacraments are generally given to anyone who requests them. Otherwise, if a priest isn’t readily available at such a moment, perfect contrition for sin brings God’s forgiveness (CCC 1452).