A recent news story discusses a talk Pope Francis gave to a group of seminarians in December.
Reportedly, the pope said that priests should not refuse absolution to penitents. However, the same story discusses him saying priests should check with their bishop before denying absolution.
Unfortunately, there are no recordings or transcripts of exactly what was said, so we can’t know. However, we can review the basic principles on this topic.
The first thing to say is that withholding absolution is a real possibility. When Jesus granted the power of absolution to the disciples, we read,
Jesus said to them again, “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” (John 20:21-23).
Jesus thus told the disciples that they needed to make a choice: to either forgive or retain sins.
He thus did not envision the disciples granting absolution in each and every case. Rather, he called upon them to make a decision—to exercise discernment, as our Jesuit friends would say.
Jesus thus envisioned the disciples withholding absolution in some cases, but on what basis? Obviously, as wrenching a decision as withholding absolution is not to be made capriciously or on a personal whim. So what would justify a priest in doing it?
In Scripture, the fundamental condition on which God forgives sin is repentance. If a person repents of his sins, God is willing to forgive. But if he clings to his sins, his salvation is in jeopardy.
This is the rational basis on which a priest can decide whether or not to absolve a penitent. If the individual has repented of his mortal sins, he is to be absolved, and if he has not repented of them, he is not.
The mere fact that an individual has come to a priest for confession indicates a desire for forgiveness, and it creates a presumption that the person is repentant. Confessing your sins is not fun, and subjecting yourself to the shame of doing so in order to be forgiven suggests that you regret what you did and have repented.
Therefore, in general, priests should presume that the individual has repented and absolve him. But the presumption of repentance can be overcome.
If a penitent behaves in the confessional in a way that is inconsistent with repentance, the priest is warranted in inquiring further—asking questions to see if the individual is repentant or not.
This can be a delicate matter. Many penitents recognize that, out of human frailty, they are likely to fall into the same sins in the future. But that does not mean that they are not repentant now. They may regret what they did, they may want not to sin in the future, and they may be hoping for grace—including the grace of confession—to help them not to sin, even though they are objectively likely to.
Such penitents are to be absolved as long as their will is currently turned away from sin.
But if the individual is genuinely non-repentant—showing no signs of contrition and being perfectly comfortable with committing mortal sin in the future—then denying him absolution is warranted.
Discerning this is a delicate enough matter that in some cases it could be advisable for a priest to check with his bishop.
Fortunately, stark unrepentance is rare when it comes to people going to confession, and—at least in the United States—the denial of absolution is very rare.
FAQs
Priests can refuse to absolve a penitent in confession, but only under certain specific circ*mstances.
Is it a sin to not forgive Catholics? ›
Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying 'I repent,' you must forgive them.” Jesus is abundantly clear: we cannot withhold forgiveness, no matter the crime or person or situation.
What sins Cannot be forgiven in confession? ›
All sins shall be forgiven, except the sin against the Holy Ghost; for Jesus will save all except the sons of perdition. What must a man do to commit the unpardonable sin? He must receive the Holy Ghost, have the heavens opened unto him, and know God, and then sin against him.
Can a priest deny you confession? ›
We need God's grace to recognize our sins, and the confessor is, by his office, an instrument of God's grace. Occasionally, when a confessor has significant doubts as to a penitent's disposition, circ*mstances, Scripture, traditional pastoral practice, and canon law require a priest to deny absolution.
What happens if priest breaks seal of confession? ›
Punishment for breaking the seal of the confessional is conferred by the severity of the violation: "a confessor who directly violates the seal of the confessional," that is: explicitly connects a sin to a penitent, "incurs a latae sententiae excommunication." One who breaks the seal "indirectly" (that is, through ...
Can mortal sins be forgiven without a priest? ›
' Ask His forgiveness with all your heart with an act of contrition, and promise Him, 'Afterward I will go to confession. ' You will return to God's grace immediately. You yourself can draw near, as the catechism teaches us, to God's forgiveness, without having a priest at hand.”
What is the Catholic guidance on forgiveness? ›
God is the one who forgives. The penances, though, are meant to be medicinal. They seek to heal the damage that sin inflicts on individuals and communities. Jesus asks his followers to be people of forgiveness: “If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
Could anything be unforgivable in a marriage Catholic? ›
The reason is that there is no such thing as a sin that cannot be forgiven. At least within Catholicism, as I understand it, any act whatsoever can be forgiven if one confesses that act with appropriate contrition and receives the sacrament of absolution.
Does God forgive repeated sins Catholics? ›
Yes! Unlike human beings, who get tired of offering forgiveness for the same offense over and over again, God never tires of forgiving, no matter what the sin, no matter how often it has been committed. God is ever faithful. He sent his Son to die for your sins and has purchased your salvation by his blood.
Are all sins forgiven at confession? ›
Answer: So long as you intended to confess all your mortal sins and otherwise make a good confession, then the sacrament was valid, and you were forgiven all your mortal sins. The fact that afterward you remembered another one does not mean that you are in a state of mortal sin.
So, in context, blaspheme against the Holy Spirit is discrediting miracles, especially exorcisms of evil spirits. Now, in the gospel of Mark, we can see that similar things occurred. Pharisees accused Jesus of delivering others by the power of demons.
What are the 12 mortal sins? ›
The Church also tells us that the sins of anger, blasphemy, envy, hatred, malice, murder, neglect of Sunday obligation, sins against faith (incredulity against God or heresy), sins against hope (obstinate despair in the hope for salvation and/or presumption that oneself can live without God or be saved by one's own ...
Is anxiety a sin? ›
Anxiety is not inherently sinful. In the same way that there's a doubt that leads to faith and a doubt that leads to faithlessness, there's anxiety that leads to faith and anxiety that leads to faithlessness.
What are the requirements for absolution in the Catholic Church? ›
For a member of the Christian faithful validly to receive sacramental absolution given to many at one time, it is required not only that the person is properly disposed but also at the same time intends to confess within a suitable period of time each grave sin which at the present time cannot be so confessed.
What are the requirements for absolution? ›
To validly receive absolution, the penitent must make a sincere sacramental confession of all known mortal sins not yet confessed to a priest and pray an act of contrition (a genre of prayers) which expresses both motives for sorrow and the resolve to not sin again.
Does a priest have to say the words of absolution? ›
A validly ordained priest, with the faculty to absolve the penitent before him, must say and intend at least the minimal formula, “I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” This formula encapsulates the essential effect of this sacrament: we are freed (“absolve ...
Can a priest give absolution? ›
It also taught that absolution is given by the priest, who acts as judge, and that it is necessary by divine law to confess to a priest each and every mortal sin and the circ*mstances that alter the species of sins that are remembered after a careful examination of conscience (cf. Sess.
