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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
seal of confession	Teri	Monday, September 27, 2004
Question: okay, so, a friend of mine once made a list to go to confession with. she showed me this list. not sure why, but, she did. afterwards, however, we had a falling out, and ceased to be friends. and i did end up telling someone some of what was on her list. i know if you overhear a confession, you are also bound by the seal of the confessional, but does this apply here? am i excommunicated or something for this?
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM+ Dear Teri: What you did was the grave sin of Detraction. Detraction is the sin of telling something true about somebody to a person who has no need to know it. You violated this person's trust and privacy and revealed things that was not your right to reveal. You are not excommunicated, but you need to refrain from receiving the Sacraments until you get to the Sacrament of Confession to confess is grave sin, and to confess why you didn'[t confess this before, and to confess receiving the Eucharist, if did so, before bringing this to confession since you obviously know that you did something wrong. If possible, you also need to apologize to the person unless that would cause more damage -- discuss that with your confessor. God will bless you for coming clean on this. God bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

seal of confession

Teri

Monday, September 27, 2004

Question:

okay, so, a friend of mine once made a list to go to confession with. she showed me this list. not sure why, but, she did. afterwards, however, we had a falling out, and ceased to be friends. and i did end up telling someone some of what was on her list. i know if you overhear a confession, you are also bound by the seal of the confessional, but does this apply here? am i excommunicated or something for this?

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM+

Dear Teri:

What you did was the grave sin of Detraction. Detraction is the sin of telling something true about somebody to a person who has no need to know it.

You violated this person's trust and privacy and revealed things that was not your right to reveal. You are not excommunicated, but you need to refrain from receiving the Sacraments until you get to the Sacrament of Confession to confess is grave sin, and to confess why you didn'[t confess this before, and to confess receiving the Eucharist, if did so, before bringing this to confession since you obviously know that you did something wrong.

If possible, you also need to apologize to the person unless that would cause more damage -- discuss that with your confessor.

God will bless you for coming clean on this.

God bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum