The secrecy of confession

I know that RC priests are required to keep confessions confidential except i think in extraordinary cases where its a life and death situiation ..Is it the same for Anglican Priests ?

 

Confession is sealed.

 

thank you Adam

 

Not necessarily so - here in Australia our laws are such that any child abuse must be reported to the authorities. Therefore, before a Priest in the Anglican Church of Australia and I believe the Roman Catholic Church can hear a confession they must stipulate that they are obliged to report a case of child abuse. I know that for a fact because when I recently asked for the Sacrament of Reconciliation during lent I informed that if I was going to confess to child abuse then the priest is obligated to stop the confession and report the abuse.

I would assume that may be the case in most countries...

 

Wow. Did not know that.

 

In Australia I don't believe any priest can hide behind it in relation to child abuse. This has been fought and won in the high court of Australia

 

I'm not sure if that's a law in the US but Anglicanism still honors the seal of confession even though we don't require auricular confession.

 

The old way of confessing sins in Anglicanism was similar to the early Church practice of Exomologesis. The penitent souls assembled before the Rector of their parish after due penance, and time to consider their sins & the mercy of God. If they were notorious public sinners of adultery or murder, they would have to be received by the bishop and after a long time of reflection.

The early practice was to have a set of courts in each church, from which various orders of penitents observed the Liturgy on Sunday. Those who were in the very early stages of doing penance for the most wicked sins were only allowed as far as the front porch. Those who had done a year or years of repenting and asking forgiveness would be allowed into the outer court, where they could see the Eucharist going on, through the great doors. It progressed until you were just behind the Faithful. Some penances lasted 40 years. I've heard that the process of Exomologesis could only be done once, and for the most heinous crimes. All other lesser sins, as Augustine says, are done away by prayer.

Confession was always public in the early Church. Those who believe in Christ should fear nothing of confessing their sins before the face of the whole church, because Christ forgives even if men (in the pews) do not.

 

and nor should they there needs to be exceptions

 

It's very sad that it took the High Court in Austrailia to force them to act like Christians. Any adult who knows that a child is being abused and does nothing is just as guilty as the person who is doing the abusing. I don't know whether it is ever enforced, but in Canada, knowing that a child is being abused and not reporting it, is a criminal offense.

 

Yes I was pretty peeved with it all - the Roman Church and one of the Protestant Churches fought it over the abuse that happened during the forced the forced adoption of indigenous and western children in the last century... It really made me feel ill to think the princes of the church tried to hide the abuse and sweep it under the carpet.

 

My understanding is the Confession is sealed in TEC. A priest may withhold absolution. And there is the duty to implore upon the penitent to report their crime. But I don't believe the priest is required by law to report a crime revealed in confession. IF a priest observes or suspects child abuse or any other crime OUTSIDE of confession, then yes, there is the duty to report. In some states it's even a law.

 

Confession is 100% confidential and sacrosanct in Anglican, Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, and to my knowledge, ALL churches.

 

Considering the fact that classical evangelical Anglicanism (and the early Church) adhered to public exomologesis, it would be rather difficult to practice confidentiality in the matter. It depends on which Anglicans (and Lutherans) are meant by the assertion.

Shame about that whole secrecy thing, really. Total cowardice and secularism.

 

You don't know what you're talking about.

 

I'm afraid I have a pretty good idea. There was no private confession of sins in the early Church.

Have you read the famous history of St. Ambrose of Milan and Emperor Theodosius? Heinous crimes such as murder & adultery were to be confessed before the whole congregation by anyone of any dignity or standing. It took many years to be absolved & brought back in by the bishop alone, and after many penances of decreasing magnitude. This "exomologesis" could only be gone through once in the life of any given sinner. All other sins were believed to be remitted by humble prayer (Augustine's Enchiridion on Faith, Hope & Love).

If I don't know what I'm talking about, though, I do want you to tell me how confession was done back then.

 

It doesn't matter. To call todays practice cowardice and secularism is wrong. There's nothing wrong with private confession. It's a recognized and accepted method, and it benefits many people.

 

I've gone through it many times, and it was certainly a burden. I saw the same people going to confession at the Cathedral every Saturday at 3:00 PM, always looking sullen. Where is the joy & peace of Christ in this never-ending loop? It benefits no one, but draws them into a repeating cycle. It should never have become recognised or accepted.

This is one benefit of being an evangelical or reformed person; you can deny many things which are 'traditional' and scorn them as corruptions, without feeling as if you've committed a sort of sacrilege.

 

Evangelical Anglicanism: denying many things and scorning them as corruption. Yikes.

 

Private confession is not "cowardice or secular."

The Reconciliation of a Penitent is found in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. This is private confession before Almighty God and a Priest.

Form One
The Penitent begins

Bless me, for I have sinned.

The Priest says
The Lord be in your heart and upon your lips that you may
truly and humbly confess your sins: In the Name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Penitent
I confess to Almighty God, to his Church, and to you, that
I have sinned by my own fault in thought, word, and deed, in
things done and left undone; especially __________. For these
and all other sins which I cannot now remember, I am truly
sorry. I pray God to have mercy on me. I firmly intend
amendment of life, and I humbly beg forgiveness of God and
his Church, and ask you for counsel, direction, and absolution.

Here the Priest may offer counsel, direction, and comfort.

The Priest then pronounces this absolution
Our Lord Jesus Christ, who has left power to his Church to
absolve all sinners who truly repent and believe in him, of
his great mercy forgive you all your offenses; and by his
authority committed to me, I absolve you from all your sins:
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.

or this

Our Lord Jesus Christ, who offered himself to be sacrificed
for us to the Father, and who conferred power on his Church
to forgive sins, absolve you through my ministry by the grace
of the Holy Spirit, and restore you in the perfect peace of
the Church. Amen.

The Priest adds
The Lord has put away all your sins.

Penitent
Thanks be to God.

The Priest concludes


Go (or abide) in peace, and pray for me, a sinner.

. . . . .
______________________