The Seal Of Confession: Catholic Law And Priestly Discretion

what catholic law protects sins told to priest

The Catholic Church teaches that only God forgives sins, and that Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, willed his ministry of forgiveness of sins to continue through the ministry of his Church. The Catholic Church also teaches that Jesus granted the ministry of reconciliation to the twelve Apostles after His Resurrection. This power was then passed down from the Apostles to their successors, the bishops and priests of the Catholic Church. This is known as Apostolic Succession.

The Catholic Church considers the act of confessing sins to a priest to be a sacrament, known as the Sacrament of Penance. The priest, acting on the authority given to him by Christ through the Apostles, forgives the penitent in the name of the Persons of the Blessed Trinity.

The Seal of Confession, established to protect the sinner, ensures that any sins disclosed to a priest during confession remain confidential.

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The Catholic Church teaches that only God forgives sins

In John 20:19-23, Jesus says to his disciples, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.'" The Catholic Church interprets this to mean that Jesus gave his apostles the authority to forgive sins. This power was understood as coming from God, as stated in 2 Corinthians 5:18: "All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation."

The Catholic Church teaches that absolution, or the forgiveness of sins, is one of the acts of the Church's ordained minister in the Sacrament of Penance. Absolution can only be received by a penitent in the presence of a priest. The priest acts in the place of Christ and forgives the penitent in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is known as "in persona Christi." The formula of absolution used in the Catholic Church is:

> God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Catholic Church emphasizes that it is God who forgives sins, and the priest is only acting as an intermediary. The priest does not have the power to forgive sins on his own but is acting with the authority given to him by Christ. This is known as "in persona Christi," or "in the person of Christ." The Catholic Church believes that Jesus established the Sacrament of Confession during his earthly ministry as a means for people to receive forgiveness for their sins.

The Catholic Church's teaching on confession and absolution has been a source of controversy and debate, with some arguing that it is unbiblical or an invention of the Church. However, the Catholic Church points to biblical passages such as John 20:21-23 and the early Christian writings of Origen, Cyprian, and Aphraates to support its teaching.

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Jesus gave priests the authority to forgive sins

In Mark 2:1–12, Jesus demonstrates that "the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" (Mark 2:10). Jesus, as a man, had the power to forgive sins, and it is believed that he passed this power on to his apostles.

In John 20:19–23, Jesus says to his disciples, "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained'."

This passage indicates that Jesus gave his apostles the authority to forgive sins. The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus' priesthood was given to men so that they could continue his earthly work of forgiving sins.

The priest stands in the place of Christ and conveys the forgiveness of God. The priest's authority to forgive sins comes from Christ and is not their own power. This is known as the sacrament of confession or the sacrament of reconciliation.

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The priest stands in for the person of Christ

In Catholic Christian teaching, the priest stands in for the person of Christ, or in persona Christi. This means that the priest acts as Jesus' minister and personal representative, and it is through the priest that Catholics confess their sins to God.

The priest, acting in the person of Christ, absolve the penitent of their sins by saying the prayer of Absolution. The priest does not forgive the sins himself, but conveys the forgiveness of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. In other words, Christ speaks through the human priest.

The priest stands in judgment of no one. The only thing the priest has to offer is mercy. The priest is like God's garbage man, taking away the sins of the penitent. The priest also sees their own soul and weakness when hearing confessions, as they are humbled by the penitent's recognition of their sins.

The Catholic Church teaches that sacramental confession requires three "acts" on the part of the penitent: contrition (sorrow of the soul for the sins committed), disclosure of the sins (the 'confession'), and satisfaction (the 'penance'; i.e., doing something to make amends for the sins).

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Confession is a sacrament

The practice of confession involves going to a priest privately behind a screen or face-to-face. The penitent begins with the Sign of the Cross and says, "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. My last confession was...", followed by a confession of their sins. The priest then assigns a penance, taking into account the penitent's personal situation, after which the penitent prays an Act of Contrition to express true sorrow for their sins. The priest, acting in the person of Christ, then absolvess the penitent of their sins by saying the prayer of Absolution. Finally, the priest expresses words of praise and blessing, and the penitent completes their assigned penance.

The Sacrament of Penance is based on the belief that Jesus granted the ministry of reconciliation to the twelve Apostles after his resurrection. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says to the Apostles, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." This passage reflects the belief that Jesus gave the Apostles, and by extension, their successors, the bishops and priests, the authority to forgive sins.

The practice of confession has been a part of Christianity since its early days. In the New Testament, Christians are instructed to "confess your sins to one another and pray for one another" and to be forgiving. The early Church Fathers understood that the power to forgive and retain sins was passed down from the Apostles to the bishops and priests.

The Sacrament of Penance is a means for sinners to obtain forgiveness, reconcile with God and the Church, and experience healing. It is a method of forgiveness established by Jesus during his earthly ministry, where the priest acts as Jesus' representative, granting forgiveness in his name.

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Absolution is the term for forgiveness by priests

Absolution is the theological term for the forgiveness imparted by ordained Christian priests and experienced by Christian penitents. It is a universal feature of the historic churches of Christendom, although the theology and the practice of absolution vary between Christian denominations.

The Catholic Church teaches that only God forgives sin and that Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, willed his ministry of forgiveness of sins to continue through the ministry of his Church. The Catholic Church further teaches that absolution is one of the acts of the Church's ordained minister in the sacrament of Penance wherein a baptized penitent with the proper dispositions can be assured of being forgiven.

In the Catholic Church, absolution is granted by a priest to a penitent who is truly contrite, confesses their sins, and promises to perform satisfaction to God. The priest absolves the penitent sinner using the formula, "I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

The practice of confessing sins to a priest is a method of forgiveness that Jesus Himself established during His earthly ministry. By confessing sins to Jesus' minister, His personal representative, Catholics are confessing their sins to God through His priest whom He commissioned for this purpose.

The priest stands in for the person of Christ and, acting on the authority given to him by Christ through the Apostles, forgives the penitent in the name of the Persons of the Blessed Trinity.

Frequently asked questions

The Catholic Church holds that only God forgives sins. However, the Church also teaches that Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, willed his ministry of forgiveness of sins to continue through the ministry of his Church. This is supported by the Bible, specifically John 20:21-23, where Jesus says, "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

The Catholic Church calls this law the "Seal of Confession" or the "Sacrament of Penance".

A priest who breaks the Seal of Confession is guilty of a "direct violation" of the sacrament and is subject to canonical penalties.

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