Ad Orientem: Pope Francis grants SSPX authority to hear confessions for one year

Tuesday, September 01, 2015

Pope Francis grants SSPX authority to hear confessions for one year

This is a significant development with a lot of potential implications. Details can be found here.

12 comments:

Prior Martin said...: Papalolatry marches on......unabated.

Now those poor Traddies can finally, after all these years, have their sins forgiven. I hope their confessionals are air conditioned. Just think, one day Frankie may give Orthodox clergy the same permission to absolve the faithful. Wouldn't that be nice? I can't wait.; 9/01/2015 1:31 PM
John (Ad Orientem) said...: Tone it down please. If you want to post anti-Catholic invective go elsewhere to do it. That's not what this blog is for. See the guidelines for comments linked in the sidebar if you have questions about what is and is not OK here.; 9/01/2015 1:38 PM
Prior Martin said...: John,
If you object to my posts delete them. After all it is YOUR blog.; 9/01/2015 4:21 PM
Visibilium said...: Orthodox clergy have no power to absolve, irrespective of any Roman Bishop's permission. My confessor acts as the Church's witness to my forgiveness.; 9/02/2015 4:09 AM
Archimandrite Gregory said...: Visibilium,

Sorry to disagree! Pope Pius XII declared Orthodox Absolutions to be valid from the Roman point of view. Current Roman Canon Law allows Orthodox priests to absolve Roman Catholics under certain conditions. From an Orthodox perspective, this means little since we consider ourselves as the Church having the fullness of Truth. If you have problem with that well so be it.; 9/02/2015 1:20 PM
John (Ad Orientem) said...: Archimandrite Gregory, I think Vis was voicing the Orthodox position since he is one of us. As I read it, he was saying the Roman approach to confession and absolution is different from ours.; 9/02/2015 1:38 PM
Visibilium said...: John, you are correct.; 9/02/2015 3:07 PM
Visibilium said...: Dale, thanks for your suggestion. I'm familiar with the Russian-style absolution prayer, less-frequent communion, and confession prior to each communion.

"O Lord and Master Jesus Christ our God, who alone hast power to absolve men from their sins, for Thou art good and lovest all men, forgive all my transgressions done in knowledge or in ignorance, and make me worthy without condemnation to have communion of Thy divine and glorious and pure and life-creating mysteries."

Saint John of Damascus; 9/03/2015 7:37 PM
Visibilium said...: It appears that you've given currency to ACROD's suggestion that the Russian absolution prayer had Latin sources. I'm not overly surprised that Western innovations managed to creep into various practices.; 9/03/2015 8:58 PM
William Tighe said...: "Orthodox clergy have no power to absolve, irrespective of any Roman Bishop's permission. My confessor acts as the Church's witness to my forgiveness."

What Church Father, what synod, ever enunciated such a view of absolution? As to the quotation from St. John of Damascus, I would wager that that is no formula of absolution, but a penitent's prayer for forgiveness.; 9/03/2015 9:59 PM
Visibilium said...: LOL

Heretical? I'm too mild-mannered to suggest such an awful condition.

On the other hand, I'd be interested in hearing the responses if you posed that question to a few Old Believers.; 9/03/2015 10:00 PM
maximus said...: Bede the Venerable:

[Christ] appeared to them and breathed upon them and said to them all: ‘Receive ye the Holy Spirit: if ye forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven to them; if ye retain the sins of any, they are retained [Jn. 20:22,23].’ Indeed, even now the same office is committed to the whole Church in Her bishops and priests. (Homily 1.20, The Orthodox New Testament: Endnotes — Matthew pg. 106); 9/04/2015 6:44 PM