Not a Catholic, but . . .
Submitted by Heather on June 30 1999 at 19:01:42
In reply to Catholic? Submitted by Tedd on June 30 1999 at 18:20:28
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. . . I'm married to one; will that do? 1) Traditionally, the Catholic seal of confession has been absolute; however, it's quite possible that, in light of the recent scandals in the Catholic Church, the Catholic Church has changed its rules in terms of confessions of pedophilic behavior (I'll get to pedophilic feelings in a moment). The U.S. Catholic Church, in its most recent statement on child sexual abuse, advised its priests, "Become familiar with state reporting requirements as well as diocesan policies concerning sexual abuse." Every diocese has its own policy; I don't know whether any of these policies allow for the breaking of the seal of confession in such cases, since I haven't seen the policies. 2) I've specifically been asking denominations how they treat confessions of pedophilic feelings, as opposed to pedophilic behavior. My guess is that, in the Catholic Church, with its very strong tradition of confessional secrecy, you would be safe making such a confession, but I wouldn't want to bet my life on it. I'm sorry; I wish I could be more encouraging. 3) Someone more knowledgeable here will have to say whether non-Catholics can request the sacrament of penance from a Catholic priest, but you might like to know that Anglican/Episcopal priests are also bound by the seal of confession, and there should be no difficulties with a non-Anglican requesting to confess his sins through an Anglican priest. How it's done varies from parish to parish; Anglo-Catholic churches (which use the word "Mass" to describe their services) sometimes have a traditional confessional box, but more often the practice is for the priest and the layman to meet face-to-face. In the U.S., two types of confessional rites are available, one that is formal in structure and one that is informal. I received an e-mail from a Church of England priest a while back, and he described in it the procedures there for what would happen if someone came to an English priest for confession; I can dig it up if anyone here is interested. The question I have is what you're looking for. If you're looking for a way to receive forgiveness from God for any sins you have committed (whether by thought, word, or deed), then the rite of confession is the appropriate vehicle for that. But if you're looking for a spiritual adviser to discuss your boylove feelings with, I think confession is the wrong way to go about it. You'd probably be better off doing what another member of this board did – seek out a pastor who looks as though he might listen sympathetically, ask to meet with him, over a period of time discuss related matters (the boylover in question discussed homosexuality with his pastor), and then, when you're reasonably certain he's someone you can trust, tell the pastor what's really on your mind. Unless you come from a Catholic or Anglican background, I think you're likely to get more out of that type of discussion than out of the rite of confession. Heather |