Posted on 02/12/2016 3:00:24 AM PST by SkyPilot
Dubbed 'super confessors', for one year only they can absolve sins usually only pardoned by the pope himself.
And on Wednesday over 1,000 of these "missionaries of mercy", handpicked by Pope Francis, were sent forth to win back the hearts of those who have left the Catholic Church and open the door to repentant sinners across the world.
There are certain evils the Vatican ranks above other sins, from attempting to assassinate the pope to defiling the Eucharist -- the rite of consuming consecrated bread and wine in Church -- by spitting it out or using it in a Satanic ritual.
Since the 12th century, those guilty of these so-called "reserved sins" had their cases evaluated by a secret tribunal in the tiny Vatican city state before they were sent before the pope, who would determine an appropriate penance.
Now, 1,142 priests and monks from around the world have be given the power, for the Vatican's Jubilee Year, to forgive sinners in their flocks -- and possibly fellow priests as one of the special sins is breaking the seal of confession.
Maltese Franciscan Marcello Ghirlando, 53, told AFP he thought giving the 'super confessors' authority usually reserved for the man in white was "a symbolic gesture" to show people the Church is ready to wipe slates clean.
"I think the pope wants to insist that 'listen, God is always going to forgive us if we turn to him with a clean heart, with a repentant heart'," he said with a grin, adding that he was relishing the challenge of bringing people back to church.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
If this is true, then why does the priest hearing the confession, then assign tasks that must be done (such as: say 20 Hail Marys and $20 in the collection box) in addition to Christ's forgiveness through Grace? If Christ's death on the cross is sufficient, why are the additional tasks necessary or warranted?
It seems to me that your Jesuit Priest is inferring that the church, because it is not perfect, can demand punishment (or whatever it wants to call it). If the church is demanding this "punishment" in order that the sinner be allowed to remain a member of the church, then either the church does not truly believe that Christ's death on the cross is sufficient for Grace, or (could it be) that the church sees an opportunity to (and I will put it quit bluntly) "blackmail" the sinner by saying that we cannot allow you to remain a member unless you do this and this and this for us.
That verse doesn’t give warrant for any of this. The Bible tells us that all who have been born again are royal priests and that Christ is our great high priest. There is no need for a class of people called priests today. All believers have direct access to the Lord. We are directed to go boldly before the throne of grace. Christ is the sole mediator between man and the Father.
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
1 Peter 2:9
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
—Hebrews 4:16
(sigh).....My church is SO far out of line with Biblical teaching on this issue.
Sins that can only be forgiven by the Pope?
Excuse me, sins can only be forgiven by God through his Son, Jesus Christ.
“At this rate, the Pope is going to hand over the keys to heaven to the gay Episcopalians.”
Or, arguably, hand those keys over to Ahab the A-rab.
What a whackjob.
Then why did Jesus even say what he did at John 20:22-23? Why confer this on his disciples at all? Did the command dissolve once the disciples died?
What about James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed”?
Catholic Confession/Penance/Reconciliation certainly complements the the verses you cited.
Having an oversized carbon footprint is probably going to require some super duper special confession.
Welcome home, I will pray for you during Lent. I am sure you have realized that FR has many people who are misinformed about the Church. Somehow they remain that way as they ask questions but do not seek answers.
Both your sentences are false but I am sure you already knew that.
Could the answer to your question be:
"The meaning of the passage is not that man can forgive sins that belongs only to God (Isaiah 43:23) but that they should be inspired; that in founding the church (meaning church universal, not just the RC church), and in declaring the will of God, they should be taught by the Holy Spirit to declare on what terms, to what characters, and to what temper of mind God would extend forgiveness of sins. It was not authority to forgive individuals, but to establish in all the churches the terms and conditions on which men might be pardoned, with a promise that God would confirm all that they taught; that all might have assurance of forgiveness who would comply with those terms; and that those who did not comply should not be forgiven, but that their sins should be retained.
This commission is as far as possible from the authority which the Roman Catholic claims of remitting sin and of pronouncing pardon."
In the case of abortion, a confessor must go to his bishop and get permission to absolve. Many American bishops have already given their priests permission to absolve one abortion, but in the case of multiple abortions, he is consulted.
In the other instances, breaking the Seal is extremely rare, I have only heard of one case; attempting to kill the Pope, not too common; profanation of the Blessed Sacrament, yes, it does happen.
To answer your question, if one of the above is confessed to a priest, the person would be put in contact with the appropriate Confessor.
I’m sitting in a doctor’s office trying on my phone which is near impossible. Rather than answering your questions now and this way I would ask you to ask your questions of the verses I cited. What do they really mean?
You must read Scripture in light of Scripture. You can take isolated verses and draw all kinds of faulty conclusions. The priesthood was done away with. It’s an old thing that passed away. Just like all of the old Levitical system, it was a shadow but Christ is the substance. Every aspect of the old dead system pointed to Christ. Why go to a man today when you can go to Christ!
Even though this article is from Yahoo News, nowhere is money mentioned. Why would you believe that money is exchanged?
Physician, heal thyself.
That quote frames the question nicely. The Church would agree with much of it, I think, but might clarify that the Holy Spirit’s gifts flow through other people to all of us, and that authorized men are the ones who we can rely on to channel the forgiveness gift. Centuries of scholarly work and inspired practice is used to back this up.
Is this one of those semi-satire pieces?
Members = money. That's where this is going.
Oh...so it is all about money and not the salvation of souls. Well that is good to know.
They do apply. Look it up in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
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