Free Republic

Pope Francis is just full of surprises. Word has now emerged that the Pope, using coarse language, advised Spanish seminarians that, even if the person making a confession is not penitent and does not intend to repent in the future, priests must grant that person absolution. By doing so, Francis departed from Catholic doctrine. More than that, he has just removed eternal punishment for any and all crimes and sins. As I said, full of surprises. The Catholic Herald has the details:Priests should grant absolution in the confessional even when the penitent has no intention to repent, the Pope has...

Hillary Clinton, in her campaign post-mortem released Tuesday, tore into women who didn't vote for her failed presidential candidacy in November and regretted it, saying "these people were looking for absolution that I just couldn't give." Clinton's book, What Happened, is an angry account of how she lost to President Trump in November. Among the multitude of people/countries/events she blames for her defeat are young women who didn't vote for her.

Mercy! So Great a Gift – Why Many Parishes Need to Reconsider When They Offer the Sacrament of Confession By: Msgr. Charles PopeAt tonight’s Chrism Mass, the Cardinal chose to focus his remarks to the more than 300 priests in attendance on the beauty of the Sacrament of Confession and the power of mercy. What a magnificent gift the Lord gave His Church through the ministry of priests, that we can hear His blessed words, I absolve you from your sins … go in peace.My mind goes back to a beautiful story of St. John Paul II and a certain bishop (not of...

On Private Confession and Absolution Confession has not been abolished in our churches. For it is not customary to administer the body of Christ except to those who have been previously examined and absolved. The people are also most diligently taught concerning faith in the word of absolution, about which there was a great silence before now….Nevertheless, confession is retained among us both because of the great benefits of absolution and because of other advantages for consciences. (Augsburg Confession XXV [Kolb/Wengert 73:1-2; 75:13]) As a consequence of the vows I took to uphold the Scriptures and the proper interpretation of...

The Early Church Fathers taught that Christ passed on His authority to forgive sins to His priests.The Didache Confess your sins in church, and do not go up to your prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of life. . . , On the Lord's Day gather together, break bread, and give thanks, after confessing your transgressions so that your sacrifice may be pure (Didache 4:14,14:1 [A.D.70]).The Letter of BarnabasYou shall judge righteously. You shall not make a schism, but you shall pacify those that contend by bringing them together. You shall confess your sins. You shall not...

CONFESSION MUST BE FULL AND ABSOLUTION PERSONAL VATICAN CITY, MAY 2, 2002 (VIS) - Today in the Holy See Press Office, Cardinals Joseph Ratzinger and Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez and Archbishop Julian Herranz presented the Apostolic Letter In The Form Of Motu Proprio "Misericordia Dei" On Certain Aspects of the Celebration of the Sacrament of Penance. Cardinal Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, highlighted the personal nature of the Sacrament of Penance as underlined in the document. This means that both guilt and pardon "must be entirely personal." This aspect has become confused over the...