From a reader:
This past weekend I went to a nearby church for confession. When I was done confessing, the priest didn’t start out with the customary "God the Father of mercies…" He went into an alternate prayer that concluded with: "and therefore Jesus extends to you His absolution for sin, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." <sic>
I thought the formula for absolution had to be a fairly accurate translation of ego te absolvo (I absolve you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit."
Am I being too scrupulous or too precise? This has been troubling me, as my wife was told the same thing.
Another example of a priest doing something stupid.
If… if… the priest didn’t also pronounce the proper form for absolution, then what he said was invalid.
If… if… this priest is doing this regularly, he ought to be reported to his bishop or religious superior. If that doesn’t produced results, then write to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
At the same time, God knows your heart. Fine a good confessor.
