Will my priest treat me differently after confession?

[auderyja]

**Hi everyone,

I know confession is rather a touchy subject. But I do have to ask… based on your experiences, or from what you’ve been told, does a priest (confessor) treats the parishioner differently after knowing the sins he/she had committed?

Being human, does he not have that tendency? I just had some embarrassing sins which I have confessed to a parish priest. And I get redfaced thinking what I’ve confessed. But I do know that what human beings think of you is nothing compares to what God thinks of you.

I am just anxious. Any advice?**

 

[Fr.Charles_Grondin]

In short: no, your priest will not treat you differently after confession.

As a priest I can tell you that not only do I not remember what people confessed to me but that I don’t care to, and in my experience most priests are the same way. Talking to a priest in confession is much like talking to a doctor or counselor, it is our job to keep confidential everything you tell us. To treat someone differently based on what they said in the confessional would be unprofessional and sinful. I can’t imagine any priest worth his salt would never act differently based on information received in confession. And, as I said, we don’t really care or try to remember what people have said to us because there’s no point to remembering.

I hope this puts your mind at ease and allows you to open up to our Lord in this wonderful sacrament.